Fingal County Council have refused permission for the construction of a two-storey house on the oil tank compound.

Fingal County Council have issued a comprehensive refusal for the following four reasons:

Reason    
The proposed development is located in an area designated in the current Fingal County Development Plan under use zoning objective RS, to provide for residential development and to protect and improve residential amenity. Having regard to the restricted nature of the subject site, it is considered that the proposed development would contravene materially this objective, by reason of its layout and proximity to the roadside and rear boundaries. The proposed development would therefore be visually obtrusive, would appear as over-development out of keeping with the established form and character of development in the vicinity, would be unacceptable from a public safety perspective and would seriously injure the amenity of property in the vicinity of the site in a manner that would be contrary to the above zoning objective and to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

Reason    
Having regard to the zoning objective for the area which seeks ‘to provide for residential development and to protect and improve residential amenity’, it is considered that a dwelling at the proposed location would be visually obtrusive when viewed surrounding dwellings and would seriously injure the amenities of the area by reason loss of outlook for the dwellings to the north. The proposed development would therefore be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

Reason    
The proposed development would materially contravene the provision in the Fingal County Development Plan, 2005 requiring that all houses should have an area of private open space behind the building line of not less than 48 sq. (exclusive of car parking area) to provide for an adequate level of residential amenity. (Objective 0S029). The proposed development would not provide private amenity space to development plan standards for the new dwelling. Furthermore, the proposed development would have inadequate rear garden depth as required under Objective OSO31. The proposed development would therefore materially contravene the Development Plan zoning objective of the area ‘to protect and improve residential amenity in established residential areas’.

Reason    
The proposed development is substandard by reason of lack of adequate carparking provision which would result in on-street parking and tend to create serious traffic congestion and traffic hazard within the vicinity. This would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The applicants have 4 weeks within which to appeal.  If they do appeal, observations can be made to An Bord Pleanála for €50.  I would recommend a collective observation including all of the €20 submissions made to the County Council.