Pre-school expansion appealed by residents on ‘traffic congestion’ grounds

PLANS to expand a pre-school in Tivoli have been appealed by a local residents’ group to An Bord Pleanála.

Applicant Rosaleen Cotter was granted planning permission by Cork City Council to increase the number of pre-school children from 18 to 25 at an existing pre-school, along with the removal of a condition “number two” of an already granted planning permission.

This condition specified that Ms Cotter “shall reside on the premises at all times. In the event of the applicant ceasing to reside on the premises, the use of the premises shall cease and shall revert to use as part of the original dwelling”.

The address is 4 Marrick, Halcon Drive, Silversprings.

Planning permission was granted on March 8, subject to six further conditions.

A submission was made on behalf of a 12-person group called the Silvercourt Residents. The submission objected to the plans on the basis that, “presently, the pre-school, due to its scale and intensity of use, leads to daily kerbside parking on all roadsides leading to congestion of a busy junction and entrance to an estate”.

The group said: 

“As residents, we currently experience dangerous obstruction to egress the park safely. The entrance to the park is being used as a roundabout for vehicular drop off and collection of children. Residents’ drives are being used as ‘vehicle turning bays’ and additional parking.” 

It said this is “endangering public safety by reason of traffic hazard and obstruction to residential, public and emergency services”.

Any amendment to one of the conditions “would further exacerbate this unsafe level of disturbance to residential amenities and endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard and obstruction to road users”.

In relation to amending another condition “we feel this would lead to the site being fully commercial which was not the original purpose”.

The residents group also wrote “there is a level of ambiguity within the planning application”.

Cork City Council’s decision to grant was appealed by the Silvercourt Residents on March 31, and a case decision is due to be decided by August 8.