11 residents object to retention of boundary wall in Kilnamanagh

A Kilnamanagh resident has been refused planning retention for a boundary wall built without planning permission.

The wall, which is “a modest 1.3 m in height” with a 1.57m wide pedestrian entrance, was erected without permission around a vacant plot of land adjoining 21 Elmcastle Court in Kilnamanagh.

It was erected by applicant Noeleen Harte when she acquired the 849 sqm site in 2023.

Ms Harte submitted a failed planning application for two four-bedroom detached houses on the lands, to provide housing for her children, in 2024.

That application also included plans to extend the height of the wall to 2m.

There was a total of 11 objections lodged against the retention of the wall by residents of Elmcastle Court and the surrounding area, raising concerns over safety, undesirable precedent, visual impact and loss of green space for the community.

“The illegal construction of the boundary wall has already led to rubbish and debris being dumped over the wall onto the surrounding public/common area, which was never a problem before the construction began,” one objection noted.

Another stated that the site had been used for years by local children as a safe play area and by neighbours as a shared green space.

“Many residents, myself included, were surprised and disappointed to see the wall appear suddenly, enclosing what had always been an open green space, it also made us wary of what other green spaces are now being bought up within our estate,” it read.

The planning application stated that retention of the wall was being sought with the aim of regularising the site’s planning status.

“The lands were purchased by the applicant in 2023, the lands are held in private ownership,” it said.

“The addition of the boundary wall, with pedestrian permeability, does not conflict with the OS zoning objective, and we respectfully request that permission be granted for retention of this modest development.”

In their decision to refuse retention for the wall, South Dublin County Council’s planning department said that the site is zoned Objective OS – To preserve and provide for open space and recreational amenities under the County Development Plan 2022-28.

“The site provides a strong local green infrastructure link with the existing hedgerow and trees on site,” the decision, published on Thursday, November 27 read.

“The proposed development would set an undesirable precedent for other similar developments, which would in themselves and cumulatively, be harmful to the open space and recreational amenities of the area.”

The site is still the subject of a live enforcement action against the owner for the unauthorised erection of the wall.