In recent weeks, residents of The Willows housing estate in Tycor, Waterford City, have come together to oppose a proposed new housing development which would have an entrance at the rear of the existing estate.
Planning permission is sought for the development of 40 apartments at the rear of The Willows housing estate. This includes 24 one bed apartments, 5 two bed apartments, and 11 three bed apartments. These would be spread across 5 apartment blocks, and would include 30 parking spaces. The proposal also outlines a 6 metre entrance with 2 two-metre stone pillars.
WILLOWS’ RESIDENTS
In light of this application, residents of The Willows estate have formed ‘The Willows Says No’ group to object against the construction of the apartment blocks.
In a statement to The Munster Express, they explained that they understand the need for new houses in Waterford, but believe this location behind their existing estate is inappropriate location.
A spokesperson for The Willows Says No group provided The Munster Express with the following explanation: “The Willows are not opposed to housing and fully recognise the need for new homes in Waterford. Our concern is that this proposal seeks to place a high-density apartment development immediately beside and through an established residential community that has existed for more than 30 years”.
“The Willows is home to retired residents, working families, emergency service personnel and people who have spent decades building their lives in this neighbourhood. Residents have maintained their homes, communal green areas and local environment and are deeply concerned about the impact of the proposed development on traffic safety, privacy, parking, residential amenity and the overall character of the area,” said the spokesperson.
“We believe the proposed scale and intensity of the development is not appropriate for this location and that the planning application does not adequately demonstrate how the existing road network, infrastructure and residential environment can accommodate a development of this size without significant adverse impacts.
“Our position is simple: we support housing in the right locations, but we also believe that existing communities deserve to be protected and that developments should be compatible with their surroundings. We are asking Waterford City & County Council to carefully consider the concerns raised by residents before reaching a decision.”
OBJECTIONS
The Munster Express visited the estate last week and residents explained that mature trees would have to be removed to accommodate the new entrance.
It was highlighted that the estate houses a long-established community and that its facilities, such as parking, were already operating at capacity.
“The lack of parking spaces too,” commented one resident. “Although the council says they cannot account for parking anymore, because we are supposed to use bikes and public transport. I’ve been living here years and I’ve never got the bus. There’s one bus up the road and I’m not even sure where it goes.
“If you were working in UHW going from here every morning, how could you expect to get there by bus? Or if you were working in a factory out in the industrial estate, you still need some form of transport.”
One consistent complaint across the public submissions was the development’s density.
“The proposed density and height are excessive and out of proportion with the surrounding built environment,” stated a resident. “Concentrating 40 dwelling units on this site would create a density that is inappropriate for the established residential neighbourhood, resulting in an incongruous and over dominant development that fails to integrate with the existing area.”
Another key objection is that The Willows would no longer be a cul-de-sac.
“The Willows is currently a quiet cul-de-sac where children walk, cycle and play safely,” said the resident.
“The proposed development would fundamentally alter this environment by converting the estate into a through-route serving a much larger residential scheme. This would introduce significantly higher levels of traffic, increased noise, more frequent vehicle movements, and additional disturbance from headlights and late-evening comings and goings.”
According to the Willows Says No group, these factors, along with others such as the new apartments overlooking existing housing would “unacceptably diminish the quality of residential life in the established neighbourhood.”
There are also concerns on the other side of the estate boundary, as the site of the proposed development sits between existing commercial units, some of which are understood to operate machinery into the night.
ALTERNATIVE ENTRANCE
Independent Councillor Donal Barry has supported the residents of The Willows, and in his submission, questions why the entrance has to be in the estate at all, given that a different entrance on the Cleaboy Road may be used during construction.
“One of the biggest questions I have about this application is why the proposed development would be accessed through The Willows when there appears to be another option from Cleaboy Road,” he said.
“My understanding is that an entrance from Cleaboy Road is proposed for use during construction. If that is the case, I believe it is reasonable to ask why this route cannot be considered as a permanent entrance for the completed development? I appreciate that construction access and permanent residential access have different requirements.
“However, that should not prevent the alternative from being properly considered. The applicant should explain whether permanent access from Cleaboy Road has been examined and if so, why it has not been selected?
“Why should residents of The Willows have an additional traffic directed through their estate if another suitable entrance may be possible?” Cllr. Barry asked.
“I believe this is a question the Council should address before accepting the proposed access arrangements,” Cllr. Barry added.
AARON KENT Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
