‘There is no building anywhere in the locality that is six storeys high’

Plans for six-storey apartments at Beaufort Place in Navan that local residents fear will overshadow their homes and say are out of keeping with the area, have been appealed to an Bord Pleanala.

Meath County Council recently granted planning permission to Heron Bell Ltd for three apartment blocks which are stepped in height from three to a maximum of six-storeys on the site which is located at the junction of the Proudstown Road and the Beaufort Road just off the roundabout at the top of Flower Hill.

Residents of Beaufort Place and the Proudstown Road as well as the proprietor of the Round O Pub and Restaurant are opposed to the height of the apartments which they say are totally out of keeping with the area and have also raised concerns about traffic in an already very busy area.

Mark Keenan proprietor of the Round O Pub has raised serious concerns about the proposal and said it would totally block light coming into his lounge in the afternoon.

"My main concern is that it will block sunlight and leave the lounge dark during the summer. We usually have afternoon sun on the lounge.

"It also doesn't fit in with the architecture of the top of Flower Hill. There are homes all around. There are some apartments but it very much a family orientated area.

"It is not the right type of building for the area. I am all for housing but not in a way that doesn't fit in with the local architecture of the area."

Stephen Dillon, who is a resident of Beaufort Place and a business owner on Flower Hill has also objected to the plans. One of his main issues is the traffic already in the area without adding more apartments. He said the Slane Road and Proudstown Road are already overcrowded in the mornings without adding 54 apartments and 21 homes. He pointed out that there is a back entrance to St Paul's School is in Beaufort Place and that parents come into the estate to drop their children off. "There are big traffic jams in Beaufort Place as it is without adding more cars.

"There are no buildings in the area other than at the bottom of Flower Hill of that size. There is no building anywhere in the locality that is six storeys high."

He added that one bedroom and two bedroom apartments were not in keeping with family living and that high rise apartments give no quality of life and that more green areas are needed.

"It doesn't fit in with any development in Beaufort Place which is primarily all families," said Stephen.

Kathryn Mullen, who lives right beside the proposed development and has a montessori school at the back of her home is also very concerned about the loss of privacy and also the extra traffic in an already very busy area.

"With the height of it, I will lose a huge amount of my privacy. Traffic is also going to be mental," she said.

"Privacy is massive. I will lose all my privacy in my home and the school. If the children are out playing, I don’t want them overlooked from the apartments.

With the townhouses that are built, they will be able to see in so I will have to keep the hedge thick and let it grow up a bit but with the apartments six storeys high, I can't do that."

"Trying to get out of Beaufort is so dangerous. It is difficult to get out as it is at busy times without adding more to it."

In 2017, planning permission was granted by Meath County Council to JA Mannion Construction for 21 two-storey houses and 26 apartments ranging in height from two to five storeys. This decision was appealed to Bord Pleanala who upheld the granting of permission but reduced the number of apartments from 26 to 24.

A new application was lodged in January 2021 for the apartment development to supercede the previously approved plans. The new plans sought permission for three three-storey apartment blocks to provide 24 one-bedroom and 30 two-bedroom apartments. Further information was sought from Meath County Council and revised plans were submitted which increased the height of parts of the development by up to three-storeys.

Under the revised plans, the first block contains 52sqm of community space.

The second block is a stepped building of three and five storeys containing 16 apartments while the third block contains 34 apartments in a stepped building of three, four and six storeys.