A Co Down housebuilder has set the ball rolling on a project to build 200 new houses in Newry over an estimated five years.
Lotus Homes in Banbridge said it has now lodged a Pre-Application Notice (PAN) with Newry Mourne and Down District Council for the housing at Doran’s Hill in the city.
The company said its plans are largely unchanged from an approval which had been secured by the former owners of the site, apart from some updates to house types.
It’s set to submit an application 24 houses in phase one of the development.
Paul O’Rourke, managing director of Lotus Homes, said: “We are very pleased to be bringing these much-needed quality, affordable homes to the Newry area.
“We recently completed a development at Hillcrest Village in Bessbrook which has proved extremely popular with the local community.
“We know that comprehensive community engagement in relation to this site has taken place over the years and we intend to continue with this.”
The company is to host a community engagement session in October as part of the process.
Mr O’Rourke added: “We hope that with a positive response from Planning Service to the amendments proposed, we will be on site for phase one early next year.
“We believe it will take in the region of five years to complete the development. This includes a new spine route through the site which will replace part of Watson’s Road, offering significant improvements in road safety.”