Big plans for Ashdale
Westmeath County Council has formally approved plans to change the zoning of a site along the Arcadia Road in Athlone from commercial to residential in order to extend the Ashdale housing development.
The site, 0.70 hectares in size, is currently zoned commercial, and it is proposed that the Athlone Town Development Plan 2014 – 2020 be amended, to accommodate the development of a residential scheme at Arcadia.
It would form an extension to the Ashdale Housing Estate, which is located around 1.2 kilometres from the town centre.
The site is close to, but different from, that proposed for the Gortnadreas development, a 33-house social housing development planned for another site in the area.
It emerged recently that the council's preferred contractor, who had been expected to start work at the start of this year, had pulled out out of the project.
This latest project is, according to a document published by the council as part of a public consultation process, designed to "enable the further consolidation of the residential neighbourhood along the Arcadia road through the development of the site which is currently vacant.
The rezoning of the land from commercial to proposed residential also poses no conflicting issues with the surrounding land uses.”
The proposal added that the rezoning of the site would be compatible with the nature of the land uses within the surrounding environs and would not conflict with them.
“It would extend the predominant residential land use zoning within the area, but nonetheless retain sufficient alternative and compatibly zoned land uses surrounding.Within this context, it is considered that the proposed rezoned site would form part of well-established and compatible land use pattern within the area i.e. residential, and would in addition, assist in strengthening the existing residential amenity and character.”
During the public consultation process, there were eight submissions, all from prescribed bodies, those which the council is legally obliged to inform of its plans.
Having received a report from the CEO Pat Gallagher on the submissions and the council's response, the February meeting of Westmeath County Council agreed to rezone the land and pave the way for the housing project.