An Bord Pleanála has approved the development of over 400 new apartments in Ballyboden in south Dublin, despite strong opposition to the plans from local residents.
The board rejected an appeal by the Ballyboden Tidy Towns group and the Moyville Residents’ Association against the decision by South Dublin County Council to sanction the development of 402 apartments on the site of former institutional lands at Taylor’s Lane in Ballyboden.
The residential scheme will consist of three apartment blocks ranging up to five storeys in height together with a creche, two retail units, a communal space and new public park.
The site, which is known as the “Good Counsel lands,” contains a number of institutional buildings which are earmarked for demolition as well as a former pitch-and-putt course.
The developer, Shannon Homes Dublin, had sought planning permission for the project under the large-scale residential development planning process.
It followed a ruling by the High Court in January 2022 which quashed an earlier decision by An Bord Pleanála to approve a strategic housing development of 486 apartments on the same site as a result of a successful judicial review brought by the Ballyboden Tidy Towns group.
In their appeal on the latest proposal, both the Tidy Towns group and residents from the nearby Moyville estate claimed the development was a missed opportunity to contribute to the creation of a village centre for Ballyboden as well as being premature pending the preparation of a Local Area Plan.
They also claimed there had been no material changes to the plans which address the reasons for the judgement by the High Court to quash the previous planning permission for the site.
The opponents pointed out that there had also been no improvement in public transport, while traffic congestion in the area has become worse due to the addition of several other new developments in the locality.
They also criticised the height of the apartment blocks which they said did not balance with the low-rise character of the area, while the density of the project represented “serious overdevelopment” of the site.
However, in its latest ruling, An Bord Pleanála said that the proposed development would be consistent with the zoning objectives and other policies of the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028 subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions.
The board said the residential scheme would “constitute an acceptable quantum of development at this location which would be served by an appropriate level of public transport, social and community infrastructure.”
It said the plans would also constitute an acceptable level of density for the location and would provide open spaces in excess of the minimum requirements, while not seriously injuring the residential and visual amenities of the area as well as other properties in the vicinity.
Consultants for Shannon Homes said the building design for the latest application had been altered to take into account comments by council planners, while the building height, density and number of car spaces had also been reduced.
They claimed the reason for quashing the previous planning permission was related to procedural matters and was not a judgement on the merits of the scheme.
The developer also highlighted that South Dublin County Council had confirmed that the latest scheme did not materially contravene height or density policies as well as being satisfied with public transport capacity for the area and revised traffic figures.
