Planning permission for a Sligo housing scheme has been refused because of fears over the damage which could be inflicted on a nearby ancient burial site.

The county council decided that the development posed a risk to the passage tomb close to the Cairns Hill site.

Twenty-one detached homes were proposed for the site, along with 97 houses at Tullynagracken North and Carns Duke.

The developer Burjon Ltd also planned to build four apartments and a reservoir as part of the overall scheme.

Among the objectors to the scheme was tourist board Failte Ireland, who formally filed its opposition to the scheme.

-- Advertisement --

The tourism authority cited the importance of Sligo's archaeological heritage to the regional tourism industry and the visual amenity value of Cairns Hill, for its decision to oppose the project.

Making its decision the council said consideration must given to the potentially negative impact the scheme could have on the amenity and setting of a national monument.

The planning authority also ruled that the scheme would be a sub-standard form of residential development which would be visually intrusive and would seriously injure the amenities of the area.

A third reason for refusal related to the creation of a number of new accesses onto a public road which was sub-standard in width and alignment.

"Having regard to the absence of proposals to upgrade this road and to provide adequate sightlines from proposed accesses, it is considered that the proposed development would endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard," the Council said.

(PR/JM)