Almost 5,000 dwellings planned for ‘vibrant’ residential community
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE Draft Local Area Plan (LAP) for Tallaght Town Centre predicts the development of over 3,500 dwellings in the Tallaght Centre area, which includes Cookstown Way, the Belgard Road, The Square and surrounding areas.
The LAP outlines the proposed vision for the Tallaght area over a six-year period, from 2020 to 2026, however the full roll-out of the ideas in the plan are expected to come to fruition over a longer period of 20 years.
Tallaght
Locations in central Tallaght have been split into eight different neighbourhoods for the purposes of the draft plan, and this week we will look at plans for one of the busiest and best-known areas in the draft proposal – the centre of Tallaght, which in the proposal is referred to as Tallaght Centre.
According to the draft proposal, between 3,578 and 4,770 dwellings could be developed in central Tallaght across a maximum gross floorspace of 477,040 sq m.
Key objectives for the area include continuing the transformation of the area, with an increase in existing residential, commercial, retail, civic, services and cultural uses and functions.
Supporting the continued function of Tallaght University Hospital and facilitating improved access to the hospital also forms part of the draft proposal, along with improving the condition of existing streets to encourage walking and cycling.
The proposal also suggests improving connectivity to all surrounding areas, through the delivery of a transport interchange integrating Luas, bus, bicycle and taxi on land in and around The Square, and by providing new local streets, including an extension to Airton Road to Cookstown Road, and Cookstown Road to Belgard North, and a new connection from Belgard North to The Square.
In terms of education, the proposal includes plans for promoting the provision of a secondary school and a primary school to serve the Tallaght catchment area.
It is proposed that open space will be provided by an urban square, local pocket parks, urban spaces, and green corridors, and there are plans to improve and enhance the public realm.
Overall, the plans for Tallaght Centre are for the area to be “a high-quality, mixed-use urban centre of city scale and character, with a vibrant mixed-use residential community continuing to emerge in an attractive network of streets.”
Other areas that are part of the draft plan include Greenhills, Broomhill, Cookstown, the Village, TU Dublin-Tallaght Campus, Whitestown, and the Town Park (Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght Stadium).
The draft plan is currently at the public consultation stage, and the proposed plan can be viewed at County Library and County Hall during normal working hours.
Council staff will be available to answer general queries in the foyer of County Hall every Wednesday, during the consultation period, between 11am and 1pm.
The plan is also available to read online at http://consult.sdublincoco.ie.
Submissions on the proposed plan can be made online through the council’s consult portal or in writing to the council.
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