Planning refused for Orange march site

An Bord Pleanála has refused permission for a major housing and tourist development on the field where Orangemen gather at their annual parade in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal.

The board ruled that the development, proposed by Dunes Properties, was contrary to the proper planning and development of the area on a number of grounds, as well as being "prejudicial to public health".

The decision overturns the planning permission granted by Donegal County Council last February for the development of 54 houses, a 22-bedroom hotel, a seven-bedroom guesthouse with restaurant, five shops and 12 apartments.

It also included proposals for a "kick-about pitch", a "village pond" and a "village green".

The proposed site is close to the sea, in a field where Orangemen traditionally gather after their July 12th parade each year.

The developers, Mr Brian Britton, owner of the nearby Sand House Hotel, and his brother Barry, had agreed to give the Orangemen the use of another nearby field.

The objection to the board was submitted by 14 named members of Rossnowlagh's residents' association. One of the objectors, Mr Tim Hinchcliff, said he was "happy but not jubilant" about the result.

"It only leaves us where we were before, with a beach and a few holiday homes scattered around. This was an urban concept in a rural area and it didn't fit in."

Mr Hinchcliff, who has lived in Rossnowlagh for 13 years, said the services weren't adequate for a scheme of the size proposed.

In its decision, the board ruled that the site lay within an area with insufficient water supply and sewerage facilities. The road network was subject to flooding. As a result, the proposed development was premature.

It also ruled that the "urban form" of the development would "damage the scenic quality of the landscape and therefore seriously injure the amenities of the area".

The board criticised as sub-standard the "rigid geometry, long straight terraces, poor arrangement of parking and lack of usable private space for residents".

"The layout is intensely geometric and totally dominated by car parking. The only areas of open land within the development block are largely those left over after the parking spaces have been laid out," the board's inspector commented.

The board also expressed concern that the development could pose a risk of contamination of water supplies, in particular through the proximity of the proposed sewage treatment plant to Durnesh Lake, which is a candidate Special Area of Conservation.

The board also agreed with the inspector's criticism that the environmental impact study submitted by the developer was inadequate.

According to objectors, there are now more than 150 houses in the townland of Rossnowlagh Upper and Lower, most of them built in the past 10 years.

Only about 20 are occupied throughout the year.