There is a report in this week’s Wexford People on a major development proposed for the Carcur/Park area of Wexford. The area in question, the former CRH site at the Point of Park, is bookended by the railway line on one side and the Slaney on the other. Two applications submitted to An Bord Pleanálawere ruled to be invalid. It is the intention of the developer to submit a third. A previous application in 2017 to develop this site was turned down by An Bord Pleanála.
What changes has the developer made to the application in the meantime? As far as we can tell there is not much difference between it and the application that was lodged previously. This being the case, the same reservations and concerns communicated to an ABP when the first application was lodged at the end of 2017 will surely raise serious questions this time around as well.
This proposed development is of such a scale and in such a vitally important and sensitive area (visually, natural amenity, bordering an SAC/SPA, flood-risk) that it requires much more than a property developer’s images, maps and words to convince one that it is for the greater good. We think it is sufficiently important to the overall future development of Wexford town that the County Council must insist, as a necessary prerequisite, that there is independent expert advice and input as to what development should be permitted here. It is of concern to us that, according to the newspaper article, the Council has said that it will “take the agreed finished development and the infrastructure in charge”. While one presumes that this is conditional, such agreement so early in the process for a proposed development which may bring its share of difficulties appears to be somewhat cavalier.
Future-Proof Wexford 