Green Party councillors on Bray Town Council have welcomed the council’s recent decision to refuse a planning application by Suntec Developments Ltd for the demolition of three dormer bungalows and the construction of 86 apartments on the Herbert Rd, Bray.

Bray Town Council planning staff acknowledged that the planning application had generated an unusually high number of objections from members of the public. The three Green Party councillors submitted their own formal objection to the application, arguing that the application did not respect the existing character of the area, or create places which were attractive to live and recreate in. They insisted that the application did not comply with council policy in terms of sustainability, building design and energy efficiency and that the development would result in overlooking and loss of privacy to surrounding properties.

“We are seeing a new planning trend emerge in Bray and other urban areas where developers are buying up old detached houses, demolishing them and attempting to build high density apartment blocks in their place” says Green Party councillor and Cathaoirleach of Bray Town Council, Deirdre de Burca. “This is known as infill development and is acceptable under the new Bray Town Development Plan” she says. “However, to date developers have been submitting planning applications for apartment blocks that are based on poor quality design and that do not respect the existing character of the local area or the heights of nearby dwellings”.

Green Party councillor, Caroline Burrell, called on Bray Town Council to encourage a much higher standard of design in any new apartment developments that are to proceed in the town. “There are unfortunately few examples of positive design in apartment blocks that are being developed in Bray at the moment” she says. “Very often developers are only concerned with building as many apartments as cheaply as possible and the new developments are totally out of keeping with surrounding areas. Little wonder then that local residents are up in arms and submitting objections to these developments”.

Green Party councillor, Ciaran o Brien, said “Bray Town Council made the right decision in refusing this planning application. The Green Party would welcome a planning application on the site that would substantially comply with council policy, had a mixed development of houses and townhouses and which would comply with best practices in relation to sustainability. In fact what we are calling for is apartment developments in Bray that will exemplify the highest and best planning standards. This would help to secure public confidence and an acceptance of new higher- density developments in the town”

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Press Release by Deirdre