Community centre lodges appeal against football club development

THE Kilnamanagh Family Recreation Centre is seeking permission to appeal South Dublin County Council’s decision to grant permission to Kilnamanagh AFC for a new clubhouse on Treepark Road.

The centre management wants to specifically appeal the car-parking aspect of the permitted development, as the proposed car park for the clubhouse falls into the grounds of the community centre’s lands.

An Bord Pleanála received the community centre’s application for leave to appeal this month, which was lodged by the chairman of the Kilnamanagh Family Recreation Centre, Martin O’Brien.

Mr O’Brien stated that the leave to appeal centred only on “a single aspect of the development, i.e. the 67 car-parking spaces the applicant was subsequently requested to provide”.

The 67 car-parking spaces were not in the football club’s initial application for planning permission, but were added to the application at a later stage via additional information that was requested by the council.

The car-parking spaces “are not within the land of the proposed development but are located in our community centre grounds,” according to Mr O’Brien.

“These 67 car parking spaces are already part of the 99 car parking spaces that we ourselves had to submit to the planning authority when we were seeking approval for an extension to our building.

“This gives rise to serious liability insurance concerns as it would now seem that there would be a conflict of responsibilities between us and the Kilnamanagh AFC.”

However, Mr O’Brien added that the community centre is “extremely open” to working with the football club to come up with “a viable alternative” for the location of the car-parking spaces.

He suggested the development of a grassed area that is not currently in use as a potential location for the parking spaces.

A decision on the community centre’s application for leave to appeal is due from An Bord Pleanála by January 14.

The state-of-the-art clubhouse on Treepark Road is to be developed at a cost of approximately €500,000, which the club has fundraised for over recent months.

The proposed facilities in the clubhouse include dressing rooms, toilets, a referee room, a club shop, a treatment room and an external strength and conditioning area.

South Dublin County Council granted planning permission for the clubhouse on November 11.