Environmentalists in Inishowen have welcomed a decision by An Bord Pleanála overturning Donegal County Council's approval for 38 two-storey houses on the seaward side of the road between Moville and Greencastle.
Ms Rose Kelly, spokeswoman for the Moville-Greencastle Environmental Group, said the decision was good news for the people of the area, for the environment and for the local economy which is heavily dependent on tourism.
She said the board's ruling "begs the question as to why the proposed development was ever given the go-ahead" by the county council, especially as the board had found that it was in breach of the county development plan. That was one of the main reasons why the environmental group had appealed to An Bord Pleanála against the council's decision last August to approve the scheme by Regatta Development Ltd and Red Sails Development Ltd.
Refusing permission, the board said the five-acre site was on the seaward side of the R241 road running along the edge of Lough Foyle - a designated tourist route offering "scenic views of great value" of the lough and the Derry-Antrim coast.
The proposed development "would interfere with the character of this scenic coastal landscape and detract from views of Lough Foyle".
It would, therefore, "seriously injure the visual amenities of the area".
The board's second reason for refusal was that the unzoned site was located outside Moville's town boundary, with undeveloped land in between, and would therefore "prejudice the orderly planned development and consolidation of the town".
A handwritten note on the planning file by Mr Jim Harley, the council's senior planner, said it was not accepted that there were views from the road because of a stand of trees to the south. The retention of these trees was "imperative", he added.
Mr Harley also said the site was some distance from the shoreline, it was not designated as a Special Area of Conservation and the terraced form of the proposed housing would be a "suitable addition" to Moville.
The environmental group said the development would copperfasten the "disorderly" pattern of housing in the area, setting a precedent for more.
