Residents of Trinity Gardens and Georges Street, frustrated and angry that Louth County Council refused to consult with them before granting planning permission for a seven-storey block of apartments adjacent to their homes, took to the streets in protest today.
The residents say that they want the site, which is currently occupied by five houses that have been allowed to fall into dereliction, to be developed for much needed housing but they are vehemently opposed to the building being proposed as it is grossly inappropriate in scale for the area at a busy junction.
Today’s short and peaceful protest was very well supported both by the numbers who turned out, which included two of the town’s TDs and several councillors, and also by the number of people tooting their horns in Support as they drove past.
“The solidarity of the people present today was outstanding” said the Chair of the Resident’s Association Teresa McKenna.
“We did not expect the support which we received today from past residents of Trinity Gardens, residents from Patrick Street and Georges Street we also had residents from Shamrock Villas who are going through a similar battle to ourselves” she said.
The residents of Trinity Gardens have submitted an Appeal to An Bord Pleanala and they are hoping for a positive decision on this appeal by Mid-March 2022.
“All developers including Urban Life have the opportunity to have pre planning submission meetings with County Council planners long before they make a submission for Planning Permission” Teresa said.
“The same courtesy is not afforded to local communities who will be directly affected by such planning applications and furthermore when consultation is requested by local communities it’s been ignored as we the Residents of this area know very well.
“We the residents of Trinity Gardens and our neighbours in Georges St and Patrick Street have always been in favour of redevelopment of this site but not a seven-story development which will stand at 24.7 meters high, dwarfing all of the single story houses in Trinity gardens which because of their single story type stand no taller than approximately five meters high.
“We are in favour of Low-rise development of this site and we want to stress that point. “Louth County Council has allowed this site to become derelict and not used existing legislation it has the power to administer even though there were five perfectly habitable dwellings on it which could have been refurbished and offered to those seeking long term homes” she continued.
Another committee member, Dom Gradwell, has highlighted on Facebook some of the many derelict buildings in Drogheda which he says could be brought back into housing stock with refurbishment.
“The majority of these buildings are structurally sound and are in areas where there are already existing high-rise housing properties” he says.
“Lots of people giving us in Trinity Gardens a hard time for making our concerns known about the Urbanlife seven- storey build to rent being foisted upon us. You would expect that kind of reaction as we are in the middle of a housing crisis where people can’t either find apartments to rent or affordable homes to buy.
“The reality is, if you just open your eyes, and more importantly your mind, the high rise buildings that could provide the bones of a solution already exist slap bang in the centre of Drogheda.
“They just happen to be solid, structurally sound buildings that have been left to rot for so long that most people barely give them a second glance.
“If these four buildings alone were renovated there would be no need for the high rise buildings that have recently been granted permission by Louth County Council.
“If Louth County Council did what they are paid to do, these buildings would not have been allowed to fall idle, vacant and derelict in the first place.
“These buildings are located in Mayoralty Street, two on the North Strand and Donaghy’s Mill. All of these properties, if refurbished, could create quality homes.
Teresa McKenna told Drogheda Life that one of the cornerstones of their appeal has been that Louth County Council Planners gave permission to Urban Life to remove part of the walls of Trinity Gardens to allow vehicular and pedestrian access to the Swan Yard site despite the fact that these walls are on the list of protected structures as agreed unanimously by all of the Councillors in the County Development Plan passed in November 2021.
“How can this be right? She asks. “If the walls are a protected structure they should not be altered in any way.”
“If this development does get the go-ahead, residents of the seven-story tower block will have some of the best views in Drogheda, of the bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and gardens of all of the residents in Trinity Gardens, Patrick Street, Georges Street and Georgian Close and the residents who are overlooked will be staring at a tower block of bricks and glass blocking all of their natural daylight.”
