Cairn Homes has recently achieved clearance for the establishment of 329 residences in Blessington, Co Wicklow, despite some local protests and the Wicklow County council planners’ conclusion that the project significantly deviates from the Wicklow County Development Plan. The development encompasses 270 houses, 47 flats and 12 duplex properties spanning a 25-hectare area within the domains of Blessington Demesne, Newpaddocks and Santryhill, Blessington, Co. Wicklow.
The proposal further encompasses a 10-hectare public space. A detailed planning report submitted alongside the application suggests the project will significantly assist in the advancement of Wicklow County Council’s long-term policy aims, as well as tangibly benefit infrastructure projects in the form of the proposed town park and the realisation of an interior relief road in Blessington.
The council planners had concluded that the Large-Scale Residential Development (LRD) application for Blessington Demesne profoundly violated the development plan pertaining to key strategies, settlement planning, and systematic use of regional land.
The go-ahead granted to Cairn Homes comes with an obligation to pay €2.79 million towards fortifying public infrastructure. Uisce Éireann surmised that the plot has the capacity to accommodate 550 residences, provided certain upgrades to the site’s water and wastewater infrastructure are financed by the applicant.
The council, in granting the planning permission, concluded that the scheme would not cause unreasonable harm to either the residential amenities of surrounding properties or the area’s visual aesthetics.
However, the Ballymore Eustace Community Development Association expressed concerns that Blessington’s inadequate wastewater infrastructure would be further strained by the project. The association questioned why Ballymore Eustace should be burdened with managing increased wastewater brought on by increasing Blessington’s residential capacity. The Ballymore Eustace Trout and Salmon Anglers Association also called for the rejection of the scheme.