More Homes

Johnstown is an attractive place to live.

We chose to make it our home for many reasons and most plan to stay.

As years roll on so other's are also following our footsteps and wanting to live here too. It shouldn't come as a surprise that developers therefore want to build more homes to cater to this demand.

The Council allocated land several years ago and the majority for housing but there's no known plans for any infrastructure improvements to cope with the current circumstances.

Change, Growth and Progress

These key words are often used with emphasis by those likely to benefit the most. Recession hit us all hard. If the the rate of building expansion had continued we would be bumper to bumper on the roads with no green fields around Johnstown.

New homes are needed throughout Ireland and we've seen glimpses of what's planned for Johnstown. We don't however think there is a vision to have anything more than housing and some don't think the area can cope with what is to come.

Growth has consequences.

With change comes new issues but what appears to be missing is a master plan containing some key facilities and infrastructure which some Residents are not happy with.

We follow up last month's article about the planning application to have 5 apartment blocks on Metges Rd adjacent to the Bailis Village and Johnstown Shopping Centre.

Since we cannot reproduce copyrighted material you will need to click on this link to search the details of the application together with any drawings that might now be on display of the planning proposal. Alternatively call into the Council Planning Department at Buvinda House to view the same or ask (and pay for) the printed document.

Applicant: Hunt Capital.

Development Site Address: Site of 0.9697 ha at Metges Road Johnstown, Navan, Co Meath.

Planning Ref No: NA 170997

The planning application was submitted at the end of August with the deadline for objections closing 2nd October.

Public Meeting

Over 50 local residents attended the public meeting at The Ardboyne Hotel on Tuesday Sept 11th to discuss the proposal.

It was clear that those in attendance were generally against the development at this time even though the land is zoned for such an application.

By the end of September the group drafted an example objection letter to the planning department outlining their reasons.

In order to save objectors from paying individual submission fees of €20 each the group went door-2-door through Johnstown and submitted a group objection before the deadline of October 2nd.

The Objections

A 'Planning Objection Letter' by Alan Lawes, 27/09/17, was posted on Navan South Communities Unite Facebook Page as an example for others to replicate. Many submitted their own objections too so there will be other concerns.

The following is an overview of the main objection points raised in the example letter:

Proposal segregates the Social and Affordable Housing into one block which will stigmatize and isolate those residents.
The road infrastructure in Johnstown cannot cope with more traffic
The proposed development of 5 Apartment Blocks will have a detrimental effect on the amount of natural sunlight and privacy the residents of Bailis Village currently enjoy.
The density is excessive and visually out of character with the area.
Suggestion that 80% will be rented and create a transient community.
Non-Compliance with zoning regulations.
Destruction of the wooded area which is a natural habitat to many forms of wildlife.
Does not provide commercial space to attract GP’s, Dentists, childcare facilities etc. Questions the access to the sports facility by the community.
Visual impact and appropriate scale of the development.
Conflict of interest where the site sale agent being unbiased after having negotiated sale of the land and now it's development.