Calverstown is a large rural settlement. In Draft KCDP 2023-29 (V1-2, Table 2.8) Calverstown has the second highest population of the 19 rural settlements and a higher population than 7 of the villages listed.
The KCDP 2017-23 designated 8.5 ha in Calverstown to settlement expansion (V2-2.22) targeting a 20% growth in population over the period of this Plan (V2-2.6).
However, over the period of KCDP 2017-23 zero new houses have been built to date in Calverstown resulting in stagnant 0% population growth. Of the land designated settlement expansion, 3.6 ha or 42% (SE1) has never, at any time, even applied for planning permission. Another 4.5 ha site (SE3), has planning permission since 2005 (extended multiple times) but has still failed to complete anything to date.
In fact, it has been 14 years or 2008 since the last new house was built in the Calverstown settlement. This development consisted of nine houses in Cluain Aoibhinn.
The Draft KCDP 2023-29 proposes to designate the same 8.5 ha to settlement expansion as per the previous plan plus an additional 2.05 ha for low density serviced sites (V2-4.7) targeting up to 25% growth in population over the 7-year period of this Plan (V2 3.1.4).
History indicates that there is no guarantee the owners of these lands will build on them over this period. If the land area designated for development was insufficient to meet growth targets over the previous 7 years, it stands to reason it will be insufficient to meet both lost (KCDP 2017-23) and future (KCDP 2023-29) growth targets over the next 7 years. Should that occur, it will be 21 years of insufficient growth in Calverstown.
The Council has shown it is inflexible to develop lands immediately adjacent to Calverstown if they are not designated “settlement expansion” in the KCDP even if lands designated settlement expansion are not developed (Planning application no. 18337). Therefore, lands with potential for development must be designated settlement expansion in KCDP 2023-29 if they are to be even considered for development over the next 7 years.
There is unprecedented demand for housing in the county.
The Council seeks to discourage one-off rural housing. Eight unique applications for one-off rural housing in the Calverstown area have been refused over the last 7 years (Planning application nos. 22121, 21771, 201609, 2055, 17933, 16922, 16496, 16414).
Instead, the Council seeks to encourage small-scale housing development in rural settlements in order to cater for local need and local growth. Unfortunately, Calverstown has completely failed to cater for local demand and local growth over the last 14 years with zero new houses built in the settlement. It has left those refused planning for one-off rural housing in the Calverstown area with no alternative. It is probable that unless more land is designated for settlement expansion it will largely fail again to meet growth targets over the next 7 years. That would mean 21 years, almost a generation, with insufficient growth in Calverstown.
I request that more land be designated as settlement expansion in Calverstown (i) to ensure adequate new houses for local need and local growth, (ii) to make up for the lost/zero growth of the previous 14 years and (iii) to ensure growth targets are met.