Residents concerned by plans for new housing

RESIDENTS in Aghalee say they are alarmed that a planning application has been proposed for an 87 house development in the village.

This comes after several residents received notification from the Planning Service that the application for the development opposite 4 and 6 Brankinstown Road, had been made and any objections must have been lodged by July 19.

One resident who lives near the proposed site said: “This development will have a huge impact on all of us.

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“Aghalee is saturated with houses and there are many houses up for sale which are just not selling. The few residents who got letters informing them of the development only received them on Saturday (July 7) and the deadline for objections is July 19. It seems strange that this is a time of year when most people are away and by the time they get back from holidays, the deadline will have passed. Locals here are annoyed to say the least.”

She continued: “Local roads are already busy to drive on and dangerous for pedestrians to cross. We will have to cope with anything between 90 and 180 extra cars on a daily basis. There will also be associated noise and pollution issues.”

The resident said many believed the village is too small to cope with more people. “Our local schools, already at, or near, full intake, will not be able to cope with the extra children who will inevitably come with the development” she said.

“Aghalee Surgery, which is already very busy, will also become much busier – with longer waiting times, difficulty getting appointments and the Health Visitor and other community based services will be stretched to the limit, especially in these times of cutbacks.”

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She said: “There is a growing population of teenagers in the village – this development will add to the numbers. There is currently no provision for any sort of activity or youth club – growing numbers will lead to problems in the future.

“When consulted, young people engaged in or at risk of becoming involved in antisocial behaviour, most often cite the absence of things to do as a major contributory factor to their negative behaviours.”

A Planning Service official said the application received on June 26 2012 from J H Price c/o Agent - McCready Architects is currently under consideration.

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