Fast-tracked student accommodation in Limerick refused planning following appeal

Fast-tracked student accommodation in Limerick has been refused planning following an appeal to An Bord Pleanála due to affect the multi-million euro development might have had on the River Shannon's water quality.

Fast-tracked student accommodation in Limerick refused planning following appeal

Fast-tracked student accommodation in Limerick has been refused planning following an appeal to An Bord Pleanála due to affect the multi-million euro development might have had on the River Shannon's water quality.

Submitted as a Strategic Housing Development (SID), the proposed development at Punches Cross in Limerick city would have seen more than 325 student beds created close to Mary Immaculate College (MIC) should it have received the go-ahead.

Developers Cloncaragh Investments Limited had previously sought to build a student village of apartment blocks ranging up to seven storeys as well as a basement level car-park.

The proposed site has long been vacant. It was previously a petrol station and it was in use as a quarry until the mid-1950s. An appeal was lodged with the planning authority in June.

In making its decision, An Bord Pleanála said it gave consideration to the European Union Habitats Directive, as well as the conservation objectives of the River Shannon and the River Fergus.

The planning authority also considered the site's surrounding areas, the Limerick City Development Plan 2010 to 2016 and the seven submissions it received, as well as the information submitted in the Appropriate Assessment Screening.

Refusing permission, the authority said it was not satisfied that the proposed development would not adversely affect the integrity of the River Shannon and River Fergus Estuaries Special Protection Area and the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation.

"The excavation of circa 33,000 cubic metres of soil/ subsoil and removal of fuel tanks and hazardous substances on lands where the groundwater is extremely vulnerable, could result in a significant negative impact on the existing water quality of the River Shannon and River Fergus Estuaries," the board order states.

Without a Natura Impact Statement, the Board said it could not be satisfied that the proposed development, either individually or with other plans and projects, would not adversely affect the integrity of the European sites in view of the site's conservation objectives.

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