An application for a 6-storey apartment block in the car park behind the Old Schoolhouse has been submitted to the council.
The application is for an apartment block with 10 one-bed and 10 two-bed apartments with balconies. The plans also have a retail unit at ground level and, despite the limited space, a small car park for residents.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“I have a few concerns about this proposal. The site is particularly close to the river and would rely on a laneway which currently has no real boundary to the river. There is very little space to accommodate any vehicular traffic here and I would worry about the stability of the road if this development increased vehicular movement in the area. Also the size of it is substantial given its location. It isn’t graduated away from the river and would be a visual block for views along the lane. It is also sufficiently high to appear above the Old Borough school when viewed from Church Road, which is quite imposing.
“It is unfortunate that this is coming before developed plans are in place for the area. That lane is likely to be an important walking and cycling access point between Main St and the Ward River Park and it would be better if development in the area was guided by the Swords Local Area Plan or the Sustainable Swords Project.
“Overall though, I would be strongly supportive of developing this area for residential and retail if it sat into the landscape better, didn’t induce traffic, and wasn’t visually imposing in a way that impacted surrounding buildings,in particular the historic cluster around St Columba’s Church.”
