Lansdowne Rugby Club has become involved in a planning row over the use of its grounds in south Dublin to store commercial vehicles for a nearby Mercedes-Benz dealer.
Local residents have called for an application by a company linked to the club to store vehicles in a corner of its training grounds at Claremont Road in Sandymount to be denied planning permission.
Claremont LFC Holdings, which is operated by trustees of Lansdowne Rugby Club, is seeking temporary planning permission to store cars on its lands for a period of five years and to develop an internal road to access the area.
The application was made after the company had been issued with an enforcement notice by Dublin City Council in June directing it to cease using a tarmac area at the club as a commercial car storage facility.
It ordered the company to comply with its direction by August 30th.
Planning files show consultants for Claremont confirmed that the unauthorised use of the tarmac area for the commercial storage of vehicles had ceased.
They pointed out that the planning application was to store cars in a different area of the club’s grounds – on a site of former cricket cages measuring 612m².
Another part of the grounds adjacent to the former cricket cages is currently being used to store cars but Lansdowne Rugby Club stated it was not restricting or adversely affecting facilities at the grounds.
The vehicles are owned by a Mercedes-Benz car dealer, MSL Ballsbridge Motors located on Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge.
MSL Motor Group, brand manager, Keith Fallon, said the company was grateful to the club for allowing it to use part of the ground to store its vehicles “whilst not interfering with the smooth running of the club.”
Mr Fallon said the majority of the cars were electric vehicles which reduced the risk of any major fuel spillage.
Consultants for Claremont said the use of the club’s lands for car storage was different from using them as a car park as it would generate very limited movements of vehicles.
They stressed the storage area would not be used as an overflow car park.
They also pointed out that the Dublin City Development Plan allowed for some once-off developments including commercial use in exceptional circumstances where they helped to safeguard the continued sporting use of lands.
The grounds, which were bought from the YMCA sports club for €6 million, are currently used for a mix of sports including rugby, hockey, soccer, cricket and athletics by a number of clubs and schools.
Claremont said the club had taken out a five-year bond to pay for the cost of the acquisition of the lands and spending €500,000 on various works at an effective cost of €7.2 million.
It claimed there was a need to commercialise a small portion of the site to fund repayments and the opportunity had arisen to allow MSL Ballsbridge Motors to store cars within the grounds.
“The club receives a rental fee from MSL for this use which provides crucial income which is urgently required to assist in paying off debt from the purchase of the site,” it added.
However, local residents based in Oaklands Park and the Willows apartment complex who oppose the planning application claim existing planning permission on the site prohibits any type of car parking on the playing pitch areas.
They claim the entire site was used as a commercial car park for several events at the Aviva Stadium in May and June this year.
They pointed out that there is also a website which promotes car parking at the site for concerts and other events.
One resident claimed the club had actively removed existing sports facilities in the form of batting cages in order to make room for commercial car storage.
Locals also complained that Lansdowne Rugby Club had “zero engagement” with residents about their plans.
They pointed out that there was also a road safety hazard posed by the large heavy goods vehicles transporting the commercial vehicles which needed to access the narrow entrance to the club.
“The lands have been used to date for car parking, both commercial storage and extended event parking which is an unauthorised use of the lands,” said one resident, Andrew Lowe.
Council planners have requested further information about whether there is any other existing or proposed commercial activity at the club’s grounds such as a commercial car park in advance of making a decision on the planning application.
They have also sought further details about the number of vehicles to be stored on the site as well as how vehicles will be delivered and removed including the type and frequency of trips and how transport vehicles can access the site safely.
