Limerick residents go to High Court in bid to halt housing plans

RESIDENTS have asked the High Court to intervene over plans to build 54 new homes in a green field behind their homes.

Permission for the units, which are earmarked to be built in Hillcroft Close near St Patrick’s Road in the city, was granted by An Bord Pleanala.

This came despite a recommendation of its own inspector to reject the proposals.

Now, the Hillcroft Close Residents Association and other people impacted by the project have sought permission from the High Court to take a judicial review.

This is a mechanism where an application can be made to challenge the decision-making processes of administrative bodies like An Bord Pleanala.

In their application to the court, residents, who were represented by Limerick solicitor Michelle Hayes of city centre law firm Hayes Solicitors, made a number of arguments in their submission to the High Court in Dublin.

They said the development as it stands would involve breaches of the City and County Development Plan, which governs what development can go where.

On top of this, they argued that the proposals granted by An Bord Pleanala ran counter to a number of other directives on the environment and habitat.

They added it “would have a very severe, adverse effect on residential amenity including traffic safety hazards for children, loss of open green space, habitats and protected species.”

Local Fianna Fail councillor Catherine Slattery, who has been supporting the residents said they were left with “no choice” but to ask the High Court to intervene.

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“Hillcroft Close is technically a cul-de-sac. All the traffic would come through Hillcroft Close. These people bought their houses knowing it is a cul-de-sac,” said the City East councillor.

According to the plans, a boundary wall will be knocked down to provide access to the field to the rear of the development.

Cllr Slattery says the amount of traffic from the development would be “chaotic and dangerous.”

“It would be a danger to anyone’s children who are playing up there. I feel An Bord Pleanala should have listened to people living in the area,” she added.