Clonburris will be size of Wexford town
By Brendan Grehan
COUNCILLORS IN South Dublin County Council voted by 24 to 9 to approve plans for Clonburris which will be Dublin’s newest town.
The Clonburris SDZ will comprise 8,500 houses with at least 2,700 available for social and affordable housing. It is located near Clondalkin, Liffey Valley, Lucan and Adamstown.
The site is made up of 280 hectares and is similar in size to Wexford town.
Tuesday night’s vote saw 24 in support of the plan, nine votes were against and there were two abstentions. Five councillors were absent from the meeting.
Local Councillor Francis Timmons told The Echo that he voted yes.
He said: “I am not overly happy with the plan but in the middle of a housing crisis. I felt it was right to vote Yes! I really hope commitments given are kept. I hope it becomes a substainable community and the dreadful planning of the past is not repeated. we owe it to everyone that is housed there.”
Sinn Fein Councillor Mark Ward also voted for the plans.
He said: “I am pleased that we will now see at least 2,700 social and affordable houses built in Clonburris. In the midst of the biggest housing crisis that we have ever seen this decision is very welcome.”
He criticised Fine Gael Councillors for voting against.
Aghast
Cllr Ward said: “I was aghast to see Fine Gael Councillors voting against the plan in contradiction to what their Minister states is needed in social housing.
“This plan will see the delivery of public transport such as trains and buses linked to the phasing of the development. If the NTA in conjunction with all the relevant stakeholders deliver this plan Clonburris will have sustainable long term transport solutions.”
Fine Gael Councillor William Lavelle told The Echo: “South Dublin County Council voted to approve the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone which permits unsustainable over-development without adequate infrastructure. The meeting saw votes to make changes, which in my view, worsens the plan even further.”
Fine Gael Councillor Vicki Casserly said she and her colleagues could not vote for a plan “that we believe short-changes existing and future residents”.
She added: “We’re not 100 per cent happy with this Plan, that’s why we voted not to support it and that’s why we’ll be appealing it to An Bord Pleanala.
“None of us want to be looking back at this moment regretting having signed our names to a Plan we weren’t happy with and that so many local residents weren’t happy with; that would be us repeating the mistakes of the past when it comes to planning.
“A Strategic Development Zone should be exactly what it says on the tin, a plan that looks at housing as part of an overall strategy, to us that includes transport and infrastructure.
“A plan of this scale can only be sustained if we have adequate infrastructure, people in Lucan and Clondalkin are already wasting too much time in traffic jams we need to address that as we build out the area.
“That means having roads that can handle increased traffic, it means having a public transport services and public services for our existing and new communities, a service that comes on stream as housing is built.”
Mayor and Lucan councillor Paul Gogarty who abstained from voting also criticised the plans.
He said: “Having been involved, directly or indirectly in five Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) processes to date I can say, hand on heart, that I believe this one to be the worst of all in terms of input from a majority of elected members to build sustainable, workable communities where infrastructure, facilities and amenities are provided in tandem with housing provision.”
It is expected that the plans will now go to An Bord Pleanala.
