Planning Permission Row Over Parking At New Kildare Scheme
Residents fear that planning permission for a major Kildare housing scheme has left them with too few parking spaces and too much pressure on local roads.
A recently completed apartment development in County Kildare has drawn criticism from local residents who say the number of on-site parking spaces is inadequate for the volume of new homes provided. Concerns focus on increased congestion on nearby streets as households compete for limited spaces, particularly at evenings and weekends.
The scheme, located in a busy town setting, forms part of a wider housing scheme approval that has been built out in phases over recent years. While the project includes surface car parking as permitted under its original planning permission, locals argue that car ownership levels were underestimated and that overspill parking is now a daily reality.
Objectors claim the shortfall in spaces is already impacting road safety and access for emergency vehicles, as cars are left along narrow residential streets and near junctions. They say these issues should have been fully assessed at application stage, alongside any potential environmental impact and traffic implications for the wider area.
Some critics point to other Kildare developments where revised plans reduced basement or on-site car parking in favour of extra residential units, and they question whether this represents a material contravention of local parking standards. They argue that agencies and councillors need to scrutinise similar proposals more closely, just as an An Bord Pleanála decision would examine parking, traffic and flood-risk development concerns on strategic housing files.
Supporters of the scheme highlight the urgent demand for new homes across Kildare and note that the project proceeded with full planning permission from Kildare County Council. They say modern planning policy encourages sustainable transport, reduced car dependency and higher-density town-centre living, and that parking ratios will not always match traditional suburban expectations.
The dispute is unfolding as Kildare County Council seeks further sites with planning permission for housing, under its programme to deliver new schemes throughout the county. For local communities, the debate at this development has become a test of how future projects balance density, parking provision and the capacity of existing streets and services.
Originally reported in on Sun, 11 Jan 2026 04:18:58 +0000. Full story
