Wicklow County Council has for the third time granted planning permission for a controversial housing development on the outskirts of Delgany village.
The council's action follows two decisions by An Bord Pleanala to reject similar developments on the site in recent years. It also goes against the recommendations of the council's senior engineer, Mr Charles McCarthy, who assessed the application.
The move has angered local residents, whose Delgany Area Residents' Action Group went into liquidation after an unsuccessful judicial review of the council's action in granting planning permission resulted in costs being awarded against them.
The residents have again appealed to Bord Pleanala, this time as individuals.
But they are also angry about the timing of the present planning permission. It was granted on December 3rd, which residents say meant the council offices and Bord Pleanala were closed for much of the time needed to get information to aid their appeal.
The also point out that when they objected, the council responded to the effect that a decision "will issue to you in due course".
While the residents took this to mean they would be contacted, the council decided not to write to the objectors but put a notice in the local paper instead.
One objector, Mr Walter Pfeiffer, said: "Some of us only found out about this on December 15th, giving us a week to get our appeal formulated before the council offices and Bord Pleanala shut for the Christmas period until January 4th."
In upholding the residents' appeal against development of the site - the last remaining green belt between Greystones and Delgany - Bord Pleanala said in 1996 and again in 1998 that no development should take place until roads in the area were upgraded. The board took the view that this should include the provision of a by-pass to the south of Delgany village.
The residents have consistently maintained they have no objection to the development of the site, as long as the road infrastructure is put in place. The application from Ventola Ltd, a company controlled by local developers (the Wood family), mirrors the last application from another company (also controlled by the Wood family), in that it offers to build on a phased basis, starting this time with 65 houses.
However, the residents point out that with the last application the council accepted an argument that the by-pass could be built within three years. Construction of the by-pass has yet to begin and could, the residents claim, take another five to seven years. They also point to the advice of the council's engineer, Mr McCarthy, that he would have no objection to the development provided the roads were in place before the building of the houses.
In an internal Wicklow County Council communication dated last April 21st, Mr McCarthy said he would have no objection to the development subject to "design and construction of proposed improvements to the R762 from Delgany School to Killincarrig Crossroads, to be prepared and constructed by the developer to the satisfaction of the county council's roads section. These improvements should be carried out before development commences."
