107 apartments for Cookstown Industrial Estate get green light
PLANNING permission has been granted for 107 apartments in a substantial residential and commercial development in the Cookstown Industrial Estate, despite some concerns raised around the surrounding area’s ability to support an “influx of hundreds of additional residents”.
In July 2016, Pyrmont Property Development Ltd sought permission for the construction of 184 apartments across three separate blocks on Second Avenue in the Cookstown Industrial Estate.
The apartments will be be constructed at this site in Cookstown Industrial Estate
This planning application was refused permission by South Dublin County Council in September 2016, which led to Pyrmont submitting a new application in June 2017 for 126 apartments at the same location in the Cookstown Industrial Estate.
This plan was subsequently revised after county planners sought additional information, with the amended design and layout passed by county planners last week.
The revised application, which has been granted with 35 conditions, has seen the development scaled-back from 126 apartments to 107 and a reduction in height from part 5, part 7 storeys to ‘5 storeys only’.
The apartments, which include studios (5), one-bed (30), two-bed (56) and 3-bed (16), will be housed across three blocks, with the planning application also providing for three commercial units, community room, crèche, gym, landscaped courtyard, bicycle storage with 88 bicycle spaces and 152 underground car park spaces.
Planning report
In its planning report, South Dublin County Council said: “The proposed development has been significantly improved through the design solutions submitted as part of the Additional Information request.
“The reduction in height and scale will ensure the visual amenity of the area is protected.
“In addition, the reduction in the number of residential units, alongside external accessibility changes will result in a higher quality of residential amenity for the future occupants.”
The planning application received four third-party submissions from the Belgard Heights Community Residents Association, The Oaks local residents, Ambervale Cairnwood Community Group and Tallaght Community Council.
The submissions cited concerns around the height of the apartment blocks and an “influx of hundreds of additional residents”, which would “further overstrain” the road network, and a lack of school places.
Issues around the sustainability of the development were also raised, with the Belgard Heights Community Residents Association, writing: “With property prices spiralling out of control it is likely that prospective buyers will be priced out of the market resulting in lettings to transient tenants with no social or community interest in the locality”.
A submission lodged by residents from the Oaks estate said: “The overall negative impact this development will have on all local facilities i.e. hospital, doctors, schools, transport, amenities, play areas, Garda response, shows the lack of concern for the problems this development will cause”.
Community views “ignored”
In a Facebook post after planning was granted, Tallaght Community Council claimed that community views were “ignored” and that, in their opinion, thriving enterprise and skilled jobs in Cookstown is what is needed.
“The design and strategy bar needs to be much higher, this is very low ambition and lacks a regeneration vision”, TCC wrote.
According to South Dublin County Council, the site of the development is located within lands zoned ‘Regen’, which ‘facilitates enterprise and/or residential-led regeneration’.
Residential development, childcare facilities, sports club/facility, community centre and “various different types of commercial land-uses” are, according to the council, permitted in principle.
In its final report, the council wrote: “It is considered that, subject to the [35] conditions set out by the council, the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area and the property in the vicinity would provide an acceptable standard of residential amenity for future residents, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience and would, therefore, be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”
To view the full planning file visit www.sdcc.ie
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