Off Eagry development.

THE DEVELOPMENT OFF EAGRY now known as EAGRY GARDENS

VISUAL IMPACT - What will the new development look like?

Our two fields (in background) as they were in 2003 - what of 2004?

"The central concerns of the planning system are to determine what kind of development is appropriate, how much is desirable, where it should best be located and what it looks like" PLANNING POLICY STATEMENT 1 Pub March 1998

Let's refer to the original proposed plan (there have been three amended versions since) to consider what improvements and changes have been made over the intervening two years. In July 2001, a member of the Development Plan Team at the Divisional Planning Office wrote the following : -

"ASSESSMENT OF POLICY AND OTHER MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The visual impact entering or leaving the village of Bushmills along Castlecatt Road will be virtually nil, due to existing housing on the main road frontage and at the end of Straid Road.

The main view into the site will be from a break in the roadside ditch/hedge on the southern side of Straid Road, on approach to Eagry Park.

This is not a very easy site, particularly the northern section of the site, where levels are very difficult.

The layout makes no attempt to reflect the topography levels/gradients aspect, or that it is an edge of village location.

There is a continued use of standard house-types, which have featured widely in other locations.

There is a density of 73 dwellings on 2.85 ha.

Although a relatively small site and given the physical constraints, these proposals should be subject to a full site/context analysis and concept statement before being given further consideration".

In a phone call to the then Planning Case Officer on 23/10/2001 I was told that they were awaiting amended plans as there were "quite a lot of changes required " When I asked what sort of changes? I was told the main ones were "density" and "roads" .
As far as we can ascertain there never was a full site/context analysis and concept statement given. We asked (27th May 2004) for this ommision to be confirmed. As of 01-Jun-2006 we have not had a reply..

So in the above note we have a member of the Planning Development Team assessing that ..."There is a continued use of standard house-types, which have featured widely in other locations". Twenty six (26) of those dwellings on the original proposed plan were of house type MD41.

Planning Service has now approved layout drawing 02/55:02 even though it has not been advertised in the Local Press as an amendment (See "Differ" on front page of this web site) And how many of the houses on this accepted plan are type MD41? Twenty four (24) Just two less. And I have not even included the mid-terraced houses which include many more of this same type lumped together.

And here is an extract from a note written by an Officer in the Roads Service to the Planners on 10th July 2001.

10/7/01
" The density of housing within the shared surface road is not acceptable"

Design concept

On 22/8/2001, referring to the original plan, a member of the Development Plan Team wrote:-

22/8/01
" This may well remain the eastern limit of Bushmills. It is essential therefore that this (development) is treated properly" (my addition in italics)

The first amended plan (April 2002) was : -

"...taken to Moyle Council on 27 May 2002 as a refusal on the basis that it (they) were contrary to Planning Policy Statement 7 : Quality Residential Environments' - Overdevelopment".

I wonder how they could assess that, as there were no house types given on the layout so one did not know if each dwelling was a bungalow or a six story high block of flats! Surely this was belittling the planning process by not even bothering to tell Planners what house type are proposed to be built on the site.

On the skyline of the original plan for site 0248 there was proposed a mixture of two storey houses and bungalows at different angles to each other with white roughcast walls. However the approved plan now shows a rigid straight row of 2-storey houses and two terraces, one of 6 dwellings and one of 4. One of the terraces having walls of dark grey masonry. Is this an improvement?

The proposals were also also refused on the grounds that they were:-

".....contrary to policy DES 3 of 'A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland'"
(Policy DES3 is entitled 'The Setting of Towns and Villages')

Reporting on a meeting in October 2003 between the developer, his agent and the senior planner, the senior planner noted : -

"My concern re the positioning of 2 storey dwellings along the highest part of the site is somewhat eased by the fact that a buffer already exists between the application site and the existing bungalow development".

I wonder what buffer he is talking about? Would this be the 2m approx. strip of land running behind the gardens of Nos. 6 to 22 Eagry Park, backing onto the lower field (Site no. 0248)? If so, that strip of land was marked on the second amended plan so nothing has changed. In the original (July 2001) plan the nearest proposed new dwelling at the highest part of the site was 10 metres from the nearest edge of that strip. Now, in the May 2003 "Roads" Drg no 02/55:02 it would appear the strip has been absorbed into the development and the nearest dwelling, at that high point, is 12m approx from the Eagry boundary . A quick sum of 12m minus 2m puts the position of the dwellings in exactly the same place as was originally proposed. CLICK to see an artist's impression of the area to see the crest mentioned.

In the original, July 2001, proposal there were 2 x detached two-storey houses and 3 x bungalows at that crest (23m. OD). However, the "accepted" plan shows those dwellings replaced by a two-storey terrace of four dwellings and 2 x two-storey semi-detached houses. (The bungalows have gone).

All existing Eagry properties are bungalows . But the new dwellings which abut onto these are all two storey, including two sets of terraces. Photo (taken 13 Nov. 04) shows the first dwellings to 'raise their heads' over the existing bungalows on the Straid Rd. And there's worse to come as there is to be another set of terraces built even nearer, and on higher ground, to the back of these bungalows.

In terms of visual impact of this development, perhaps the most sensitive area for the visitor arriving in Bushmills from Ballycastle along the Straid Road is where the new development "meets" that road.

The Landscape plan (received by Planners 13 Feb 2003) for the section of the site nearest the Straid Road shows two rows of trees to be planted between the houses and the road, presumably as a screen. However the row of trees nearest the houses is running along the line of the sewers' "wayleave" (A 6m strip to be kept clear to enable maintenance work). These trees appear to be have disappeared on the "Approved" Roads layout Plan (30/5/03).

However the front row of trees remain. These are to be planted in the dip between the road and the houses. According to my reading of the plan they are to be planted at their highest point on the 23.5 OD contour line. Any higher and they will be in the "no-go" 6m wayleave strip. There are sewers beneath this bank. The dwellings these trees are to screen start at a minimum floor level of 26.8 OD so assuming a maximum tree height of 4.25m then (23.5 + 4.25 = 27.75) these will screen the first metre of brickwork or fence and no more. Here's a scale drawing : -

And here it is inreality.... Photo. below, taken from the Straid Road (foreground fence post) on 19th Nov 2005. From this photo you can see the steep slope (mentioned in my sketch above ) And in the near foreground the land dropping out of sight into the stream. The white dotted line shows the route of the sewers which has to be kept clear and so in theory the developer will not be allowed to plant trees there.

Part of a letter written (19/2/2002) to Planners by an Officer from Environment and Heritage Service (Natural Heritage) says :-

19/2/02
" The river (St Columb's Rill) has landscape and wildlife value which development proposals should seek to enhance". (My addition in italics).

Beware, there's another page. -ON TO THE SECOND PAGE OF VISUAL IMPACT >>

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