The former Citywest Golf Courses received 128 objections
1,306 submissions received over plans to rezone sites for housing
There has been overwhelming public opposition to the council’s plans to rezone a number of sites around the county to make way for more residential development.
The 15 sites included in the public consultation make up a total potential of 157.5 hectares of new residential lands and could provide up to 7,453 new units of housing.
South Dublin County Council say they must rezone these lands as residential to meet housing needs in the county.
The proposal requires a variation to the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-28 to address new housing targets sent out by the government in 2025, facilitate short/medium-term housing delivery and “to strategically prepare for the housing delivery for the county to 2040 and beyond”.
Seven other sites were also included in the proposal to be “further detailed analysis to inform a future rezoning proposal” under the next county development plan in 2029, and for rezoning to support local infrastructure such as parks and transport links.
The public consultation for the proposed variation, which ran from February 13 to Friday, March 13, received 1,306 submissions.
Over half of these were in relation to an 18.01ha section of the grounds of St Edmundsbury Hospital in Lucan, which received 676 submissions, mostly opposing the rezoning on grounds of over-development and traffic over-congestion in Lucan village.
The lands at Finnstown which received almost 200 submissions
Other sites that saw heavy opposition were the former Citywest Golf Course in Saggart, which received 128 objections, the former hotel grounds and golf course at Finnstown Castle which received almost 200 submissions, and 24.27ha of agricultural lands extending to the west from Adamstown Strategic Development Zone, which received 117 submissions.
A report on the submissions received during the public consultation will be prepared by SDCC’s chief executive Colm Ward, with recommendations for each site, and will be shared with councillors in advance of a Special Meeting of the Council in May.
At that meeting, councillors will be required to make decisions having considered the Proposed Variation and the report, with each site considered as a specific amendment to the County Development Plan.
In response to a question from Cllr Helen Farrell at the March council meeting, SDCC’s director of planning Eoin Burke said that the consideration of the proposed variation will “proceed in amendment order” and that decisions will be made “on the basis of motions put forward by the elected members”.
“Where no motion is proposed in respect of a particular amendment, the recommendation of the Chief Executive as set out in the report will stand,” he said.
There also may have to be further public consultation if “decisions of the elected members give rise to material alterations to the proposed variation”, he added.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
