Social Housing Development at Ballymacool, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACT 2000, AS AMENDED – SECTION 179
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS 2001, AS AMENDED – ARTICLE 81

NOTICE PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 81 OF PART 8 OF THE ABOVE REGULATIONS (“the Regulations”), RELATING TO A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT BY DONEGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Project Name: Social Housing Development at Ballymacool, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

TAKE NOTICE that Donegal County Council (“the Council”) proposes to carry out the development specified in below:

1. The location of the development is on lands located at Ballymacool, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal in the townland of Ballymacool in the Letterkenny & Milford Municipal District.  The site extends to 5.1 hectares and is located south of the L-59443 road; west of the R250 roundabout; north of the R250 Road, and east of Ballymacool Park. The site also borders the Donegal Centre for Independent Living to the east, west and south.

2. The nature and extent of the proposed development is as follows:
   • The construction of 172 no. social housing units within three distinct neighbourhood zones (Zone A-C):
     • ​​​​​ Zone A: 64 no units; Zone B: 60 no. units; and Zone C: 48 no. units.
   • The breakdown of the proposed total 172 no. social housing units is as follows:
     • 13 no. 2-bed houses
     • 57 no. 3-bed houses
     • 13 no. 4 bed houses
     • 4 no. 5-bed houses
     • 18 no. duplex units arranged side by side comprising 4 no. units per block:
       • 18 no. 1-beds units
       • 36 no. 2-bed units
       • 18 no. 3-bed units
     • Independent living cluster comprising:
       • 8 no. 2-bed independent living houses
       • 2 no. duplex units comprising: 2 no. 2-bed independent living units and 2 no. 2-bed units.
       • 1 no. 5-bed Group Home.
   • Provision of 12,938m² of landscaped public open space which includes features such as seating, rain gardens, pedestrian paths, native planting including trees and wildflowers, home zones, and grassed open space.
   • Provision of new vehicular and pedestrian access to the site via the L-59443 road which serves the existing Ballymacool Woods residential development.
   • Provision of an active travel route throughout the development and linking to the adjacent Ballymacool Park.
   • Provision of no. 274 car parking spaces and 76 no. bike parking spaces.
   • All associated ancillary works to include connection to utilities, connection to public water supply and other services, connection and discharge to the public sewerage network, and site drainage including SuDS measures such as permeable paving, kerbside rain gardens, drainage kerbs, and tree pits. 
     
     All associated ancillary site works shall be located within the townland of Ballymacool in the Letterkenny & Milford Municipal District.
3. The proposed development is sub-threshold for the purposes of Environmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”) as per Article 92 of the Regulations and the Council has concluded on the basis of a Preliminary Examination of the nature, location and size of the proposed development in accordance with Article 120 (1)(b)(i) thereof that there is no real likelihood of significant effects on the environment arising from the proposed development and that EIA is not required. A copy of this Preliminary Examination and conclusion will be available for inspection or purchase along with the documents referred to at paragraph (e) below.
   
   Where, however, any person considers that the proposed development to be carried out by the Council would be likely to have significant effects on the environment, he or she may at any time before the expiration of 4-weeks beginning of the date of publication of this notice apply under Article 120(3)(b) of the Regulations to An Coimisiún Pleanála (64 Marlborough Street, Rotunda, Dublin 1, D01 V902) for a screening determination as to whether the development would be likely to have such effects.
4. In order to ascertain whether the proposed development required Appropriate Assessment (“AA”), the Council carried out a screening of same in accordance with Article 250(1) of the Regulations and made a determination in view of best scientific knowledge that the development, either individually or in-combination with other plans or projects, would not be likely to have a significant effect on a European site in view of the site’s conservation objectives, and that AA was not required. A copy of this determination including the main reasons and considerations on which the determination was based will be available for inspection or purchase along with the documents referred to at paragraph (e) below.
   
   Where, however, any person considers that the proposed development to be carried out by the Council would be likely to have a significant effect on a European Site, he or she may apply under Article 250(3)(b) of the Regulations to An Coimisiún Pleanála (64 Marlborough Street, Rotunda, Dublin 1, D01 V902) for a determination as to whether the development would be likely to have such significant effect and An Coimisiún Pleanála will make a determination on the matter as soon as possible. Any application for such determination in order to be considered by An Coimisiún Pleanála must state the reasons for the forming of the view that the development would be likely to have a significant effect on a European Site.  
5. Plans and particulars of the proposed development, including copies of the EIA and AA screenings and determinations, will be available for inspection online at https://consult.donegal.ie/ or for inspection or purchase (at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy) at the Council’s offices below:

The said plans and particulars will be available for inspection as above from Thursday 17 July 2025 until Friday 15 August 2025 inclusive (the public display period has been extended to account for the August bank holiday).

6. Submissions and observations with respect to the proposed development, dealing with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, may be made in writing to the Housing Capital Section, Donegal County Council, County House, The Diamond, Lifford, F93 Y622 or by email to housingcapital@donegalcoco.ie on or before 4.30pm Friday 29^th August 2025.  Please mark the front of the envelope with the project name as per the above schedule.