Planners recommend Saul Road housing development proceeds

Planners recommend Saul Road housing development proceeds

30 June 2021

A DERELICT factory on the Saul Road in Downpatrick is to be razed to the ground to make way for a new housing development.

Planners are recommending that the proposed new development on a site adjacent to St Patrick’s Golf Club should proceed.

An application to redevelop a two and a half acre site proposes the construction of 18 semi-detached homes and 10 three-storey apartments which would be housed in two blocks as part of a new residential development.

A planning application to demolish the former factory — which has been an eyesore for many years — was lodged in May 2018, with Newry, Mourne and Down Council planners recommending that the scheme should proceed.

The application proposes the redevelopment of the entire site which includes retaining existing trees.

A supporting planning statement said the two-storey derelict factory site, bordered by the golf club and Drumlin Park, occupies a large portion of the proposed development location.

It is proposed to locate the apartments at the higher end of the site to afford them attractive views over the countryside to the north and the golf course to the south.

“The site has been designed to ensure that the majority of the trees along the frontage are retained with a landscaped buffer to the rear to protect them,” the planning statement confirms.

“This will help to soften views of the development from the Saul Road and ensure that the prospective residents have an attractive outlook. Trees along the western and eastern boundaries will also be retained to provide quality and screening.”

The statement confirms that the proposed construction site has not been zoned or identified as industrial land and so development for residential purposes will not be contrary to the local area plan.

Elsewhere, the document states that the planned redevelopment will “significantly improve the amenity and character of the Saul Road” especially as a number of new housing developments are under currently construction.

The report explains that although there are few, if any, apartments in the local area, the site is located beside the golf club and its extensive car park, with the clubhouse sitting to the west of the site.

“The proposed apartment buildings will be in line with this and will take advantage of the setting,” the planning statement continues.

“They will be fully in keeping with a position beside such a large, recreational amenity space. Indeed, there are examples of similar development at other recreational locations, such as Masserene Golf Club in Antrim.”

Developers say the Saul Road development has been “carefully designed” to ensure that there will be good separation between the dwellings and so that the privacy of neighbouring homes will not be compromised.

“Although the apartments are three storey, they are over 28 metres away from the nearest dwelling in Drumlin Park and screened by mature vegetation,” explains the planning statement. “It should be noted that the existing factory building is positioned much closer to the boundary.

“The proposal includes two parking spaces per dwelling with provision for at least nine further spaces on-street. The apartment buildings both have 12 spaces.”

The planning statement concludes that the Saul Road site can, with suitable precautionary work, be satisfactorily developed for residential use.

It adds: “Indeed, there is significant environmental advantage in remedying pockets of contamination which exist on the site. Because the buildings are to be demolished, a bat impact assessment has also been carried out which demonstrates that demolition will not have an adverse impact on the bat population.

“As the site is in excess one hectare, a drainage assessment has also been commissioned. In effect, the development will remove a significant area of roofing and had surfacing. The residential development will not result in any increase in surface water run-off.”

Downpatrick councillor Dermot Curran has welcomed the planners’ recommendation to allow the new residential development to proceed.

He said many people will be familiar with the Saul Road site “which has been an eyesore for many years” and will welcome its redevelopment which will significantly enhance this part of the town.

Cllr Curran hopes that the new homes plan will provide a boost for the local construction industry and building supplies merchants who are based in the area.

“Redeveloping this site is long overdue and I am pleased that planners are recommending that the scheme should proceed which is particularly timely given the current demand for new homes right across the district,” he continued.

“There is a huge demand for homes at present and any properties which go on the market are literally being snapped up within days.”

Cllr Curran added: “There are currently a number of new housing developments at the Saul Road and the fact that most of the planned homes have already been snapped up illustrates the new housing demand.”