Castlecaulfield new homes plan gets thumbs up from planning committee

Committee members were made aware of an application lodged by applicant Alskea Ltd seeking permission to bring the development of three and four-bedroom detached properties and semi-detached houses to 140 Old Caulfield Road.

The report complied by council’s planners and presented to members of the committee recommended the application was approved.

It explains the proposal has received no objections and explains the development comprises of nine pairs of semi-detached dwellings and 12 detached swellings of which 10 will be along the main road.

All the dwellings are two-storey with 16 of them being four bedroom and the remaining 14, three-bedroom dwellings.

However, the report notes the proposed application site covers and area of 1.5 hectares, of which, approximately 0.28 hectares lies outside the settlement limit.

This 0.28 hectares is in the south eastern portion of the site and includes the area of public amenity space as well as five dwellings which propose two pairs of semi-detached and one detached two storey dwelling.

CTY 15 aims to promote and contain development within a settlement, as well as protecting the identity of each settlement, within the landscape immediately around it playing an important role in maintaining the distinction between town and country.

However, the officer in charge of assessing the application states that despite not adhering to CTY 15 they are not “highly concerned” as the location of the land impacted is to the rear and not along a roadside.

“As the applicant has shown the land surrounding the site in blue and therefore under their ownership, the provision of a substantial landscape buffer around the edges of this development site abutting the countryside would reinforce the distinction between urban and rural fringe,” reads the report.

Noting the application must go to committee as it does not comply with CTY 15, the summary of recommendation still recommends the application is approved “provided a pre-commencement condition is attached to plant a landscape buffer along the indicated boundaries of the site”.

A proposal to approve the application was put forward by Councillor Sean McPeake and seconded by Council’s Chair, Councillor Cora Corry with the committee voicing its approval for the application.