Appeal against homeless hub plans unsuccessful
By Aideen O'Flaherty
TALLAGHT Community Council’s (TCC) appeal against South Dublin County Council’s decision to grant permission for the development of a homeless family hub in the Abberley Court Hotel has been unsuccessful.
Plans for the change of use of the nightclub on the second floor of the hotel, to instead facilitate the development of 12 new guest rooms/bedrooms, were submitted by Yelber Taverns, which trades as the Abberley Court Hotel, in July 2017.
Appeal against the family hub plans at the nightclub at the Abberley Court hotel were unsuccessful
The council granted permission for the change of use last December, reducing the number of bedrooms to nine, two of which are to include enhanced family facilities and associated internal alterations.
TCC lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala (ABP) a month after planning permission was secured, where they cited a number of concerns about the proposed development and sought to have ABP overturn the council’s decision to grant permission.
The community group’s grounds for appeal included concerns about, in their view, the “clustering” of homeless hubs and homeless services within the Tallaght region, stating that it is “not good enough for SDCC to locate an excess of homeless hubs and homeless services” in Tallaght.
TCC called for a ban on further homeless hubs in Tallaght “until all local electoral areas are playing their part”, and they added that the location “is not child friendly” as there is an absence of greenspace and the hub is located near a busy pub.
ABP upheld the council’s decision to grant permission for the development on October 2.
The hotel officially became a homeless family hub last January, with this model of accommodation being used as an alternative to emergency B&Bs and hotels for homeless families.
