Public Consultation To Go Ahead On Arklow Housing Development

Wicklow County Council have reversed their decision not to consult the Arklow public on a new social housing development in Tinahask

Wicklow County Council have reversed their decision not to consult the Arklow public on a new social housing development in Tinahask, where revised plans now exclude 22 homes and remove the obligation for a crèche facility.

In November last year, Arklow councillors expressed their unanimous disapproval of plans for the controversial housing estate at Tinahask Upper after learning that the local authority would not undertake a public consultation on the development.Located on a site adjacent to an approved 100-home Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme project, the proposed social housing development was to consist of 96 homes, in a mix of one, two and three-bedroom houses.Contentiously, access to both the proposed developments – now equating to c. 180 homes on a 6-hectare site – will be provisionally provided through the existing Church View estate, which is already overburdened by traffic congestion.Unlike the approved PPP development, WCC had intended to fast-track the social housing estate through Section 179A of the Planning and Development Act as part of the government’s plan to accelerate the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental housing at a more rapid rate than so-called ‘Part 8’ developments.As such, no public consultation would have been undertaken by WCC, with no submissions accepted from local residents or public representatives on the development.