15 January 2004: Leixlip Town Councillor Colm Purcell has called for single-storey housing and a reduction in housing density around the Wonderful Barn in Leixlip.

He has made a submission to Kildare County Council in relation to the Draft Action Area Plan for the lands at the Wonderful Barn and at Barnhall House in Leixlip.

His concerns include the preservation of the unique setting of the Barn, height problems as it relates to the nearby estates of Castletown, Elton Court and Rinawade; the proposed density, type of housing envisaged for the area, pedestrian links to existing residential estates and traffic management.

He said the purpose of the Action Area Plan is to set out how the Parklands Area and Residential Area will be developed with the over-riding concern of protecting and preserving the Wonderful Barn and associated outbuildings.

The Barn was built in 1743 and has long been a historical treasure for the residents of Leixlip and its present condition has long been a concern for the people of the area.

Cllr Purcell put the present value of the lands at about €1m and said the proposed residential development will raise this to about €40. He said the people of Leixlip ‘owe nothing’ to the landowner and he wants only single storey houses within the residential area.

The site represents the boundary of Leixlip on the Celbridge Road and as such will be the entrance to the town for the forseeable future from the Celbridge side. The residential element will border the Parklands. The Residential Density Planning Guidelines recommend that low density be applied in areas that border open countryside.

He outlined concern at the building of 470 housing units in the area and the proposal for three-storey buildings on the perimeter of the parklands bordering the Wonderful Barn. “I find it unacceptable that three-storey buildings will effectively set the backdrop to the Wonderful Barn and no amount of tree planting along the perimeter of the parklands will preserve this unique building from the obtrusive nature of the three-storey buildings.

In his submission to Kildare County Council Cllr Purcell, on behalf of residents of the surrounding estates and the wider community of Leixlip, urged the Director of Planning to amend the plan as indicated in his submission.

Cllr Purcell is seeking the support of his colleague on Kildare County Council, Labour’s Cllr John McGinley, in this matter.