DAVID MULCAHY PLANNING CONSULTANTS LTD 67 The Old Mill Race, Athgarvan, Co. Kildare D M PH: 045 405030/086 350 44 71 E-mail: [email protected] www.planningconsultant.ie Company No: 493 133 Directors: D. Mulcahy & M. Mulcahy STATEMENT OF CONSISTENCY & PLANNING REPORT in support of application for 467 DWELLINGS, CHILDCARE FACILITY, GYM, CAFÉ, & RETAIL UNIT on lands at CRODAUN, CELBRIDGE, CO. KILDARE Applicant: Crodaun Development Company Ltd 16th April 2020 David Mulcahy Ba. (Mod), MRUP, MSc. Urban Design Member of the Irish Planning Institute. Chartered Town Planner. David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS Site Description 12.93Ha - red line boundary comprised of: 12.68 ha - undeveloped, greenfield lands owned by applicant 0.25Ha - proposed works on lands owned by Kildare Co. Co. to facilitate access. Zoning ‘New Residential’ zoning (10.74ha) ‘Open Space/Amenity’ zoning (1.935ha). Services ‘Ready to go’ site. Road Frontage Significant frontage onto regional road (Maynooth Rd) to east. Features Generally flat. Good quality hedgerow to west and part of eastern boundary. Poor quality hedgerow in the centre. Stream with overgrown planting to the south. Distance from Town c.1.8km via R405 Centre Community facilities Situated in close proximity to 2 no. post primary schools (one temporary); established neighbourhood centre, 3 supermarkets, and a large employment zone. Proximity to public • No.67, 67X, 67N (Maynooth- Dublin City) bus stops transport located outside and adjoining the lands. • Shuttle bus service from Salesian College to Hazelhatch train station (4k). • Dedicated cycle lane to Louisa Train Station in Leixlip (3.8k). Proposal 467 dwellings (houses and apartments) Childcare Facility, gym, café and retail unit. 2 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd 2 no. vehicular access points (involving works to the Maynooth Road) 2.068Ha landscaped park with kickabout area and pedestrian/running/cycle routes. Proposed Density Proposed net density of 43.46 units/Hectare (net of 1.935Ha of ‘F’ zoned lands to north). Public Open Space 1.933ha of public open space within the residential zoned lands (17.99%) Planning Gain • Significant amount of new housing to serve a wide range of household types. • Provision of 1.935 hectare landscaped park to the north. • Childcare facility, gym, local shop and café. Urban Design • Strong urban frontage to Maynooth Road • Gateway building entering Celbridge at north-east of site • Strong frontage to the park to the north • Permeable layout • Strong sense of place 3 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction. 2.0 Site Location & Description. 3.0 Planning History. 4.0 Proposed Development. 5.0 Consistency with ministerial planning guidelines & other relevant strategic planning policy. 6.0 Consistency with development plan & local area plan. 7.0 Conclusion. 4 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd 1.0 INTRODUCTION David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd have been instructed by Crodaun Development Company Ltd (‘applicant’) to prepare a planning report and statement of consistency to support a planning application to An Bord Pleanála concerning a proposed residential development for 467 dwelling units, childcare facility, gym and retail unit on lands measuring 12.68 hectares at Crodaun, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. Given that the scheme contains over 100 dwelling units this application is being made directly to An Bord Pleanála under the Strategic Housing Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016. The purpose of this report is to describe the planning context including receiving environment, planning history, outline the proposed development and demonstrate how the proposal is consistent with the relevant s.28 planning guidelines and local policies and objectives (statement of consistency). The lands in question (12.68 hectares) are predominantly zoned ‘New Residential’ (10.74 hectares) with approximately 1.93 hectares zoned for ‘Open Space/Amenity’ at the north end. The lands are under freehold ownership of the applicant. Additional lands owned by Kildare County Council (measuring 0.25 hectares) are included within the red line boundary of the application site (12.93 hectares) as they are required to facilitate access. The lands are generally flat and are greenfield in nature, with the current use being for agriculture (pastoral). The lands are largely free of any constraints, apart from internal hedgerows. There is a stream along the southern boundary, known as Kilwoghan Stream1. 1 The spelling of Kilwoghan Stream is based on OPW Eastern CFRAM Study HA09 Hydraulic Report from 2015 (for the Celbridge and Hazelhatch areas) and is different from the spelling of Kilwogan Lane. 5 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd The applicants are experienced developers some of whom live in Celbridge and have carried out significant housing developments in the town previously. They aim to provide a high-quality housing scheme that will represent a significant positive contribution to Celbridge town providing options for a variety of households. For clarity this report addresses: • Statement of Consistency with development plan, local area plan and s.28 Ministerial Guidelines (s5.0 and s.6.0) • Material Contravention Statement (s.6.3.3) • Housing Mix Statement (s.6.1.3) 6 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd 2.0 SITE LOCATION & DESCRIPTION 2.1 Location The subject lands are located to the north of Celbridge town in the Townland of Crodaun. Specifically, the lands are located west of the Maynooth Rd (R405) and north of Kilwoghan Stream (which runs to the north of Kilwogan Lane) see Fig Nos. 1 and 2 below. Site Location Town Centre Fig No.1 Map showing location of subject lands in Crodaun, Celbridge (Source: MyPlan.ie - OSI Licence No.EN 0080915) 7 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd M4 Motorway Site Maynooth Rd (R405) Kilwogan Lane Fig No.2 Location Map showing location of subject lands and surrounding context (Source: MyPlan.ie - OSI Licence No.EN 0080915). Red line is indicative only. 2.2 Site Description The subject site is triangular in shape, narrowing at the northern end. Its measures 12.68 hectares2 and is relatively flat. The site is comprised of 3 no. vacant fields divided by hedgerows. The quality of these dividing hedgerows has found to be of a poor quality following a site inspection by an arborist – please refer to the arboricultural impact report prepared by The Tree File Ltd. The site contains a number of ESB overhead wires and associated support poles. There is a small stream running along the southern boundary of the site (Kilwoghan Stream). There is woodland thicket/regenerative scrub either side of the stream. 2 Net of the lands in the ownership of Kildare Co. Co. to the east of the site (0.25Ha). 8 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd The eastern boundary of the site is defined by a row of mature trees at the south end. The remainder of this boundary is defined by fencing. The western boundary of the site is defined by a mature hedgerow, including some mature specimen trees (oak). The site has extensive frontage onto the adjoining public road (Maynooth Road, R405) to the east which is within the 50kph posted speed limit. School (temp) School M4 Business Park Site Residential Residential Fig. No.3 Aerial view of subject lands (source: Google Earth, April 2019). Red line indicative only. 9 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd Fig. No.4 View of site taken from midway point along eastern boundary (June 2019) Fig No.5 View of site from north-east of site at roundabout junction (June 2019). 10 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd Fig No.6 Existing mature hedgerow along the eastern boundary of the site facing the Maynooth Rd (southern portion) – dated June 2019. Note pedestrian and cycle lane, along with public lighting. Fig No.7 View of scrubland north of Kilwoghan Stream with thicket to the south side (November 2018). 11 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd Fig No.8 Mature trees along the western boundary of the site (November 2018) 2.3 Ownership The subject lands (12.68Ha) are owned in their entirety by the applicant - Crodaun Development Company Ltd. The red line boundary of the application also includes lands in the ownership of Kildare County Council as works are proposed to the Maynooth Road (0.25Ha) in order to facilitate access. A letter of consent from the council is included with the application. 2.4 Adjoining Lands & Land Uses in the Vicinity North The M4 Business Park is located to the north of the site on the opposite side of the roundabout junction. A temporary Educate Together post primary school (Celbridge Community School) is located opposite Salesian College. 12 David Mulcahy Planning Consultants Ltd West There is a large post primary school located to the north west of the site – Salesian College. The school caters for boys and has an enrolment of 700+ pupils. There are agricultural fields situated to the west of the site. South There is a narrow strip of land to the south of the subject site. This strip of land is in third party ownership and therefore is outside the legal interest of the applicant. This strip of land fronts onto Kilwogan Lane (L5054), a relatively narrow road with no road markings or footpaths. Kilowgan Lane provides access to agricultural lands west of the subject site. There is mature residential housing to the south side of Kilwogan Lane (‘Castle Village’ and ‘Thornhill Court’). Thornhill is a two storey apartment complex. East The R405 Regional Road (Maynooth Road) runs along the east side of the site. There is a strip of lands owned by Kildare County Council between the subject site and this road at the northern end of the site. There is a dedicated cycle lane and public footpath on the west side of the Maynooth Road where the site is situated.