The 26-acre site was put up for sale by Dublin Bus Services Sports and Social Club
Council concede in bid to purchase Coldcut lands
“It would appear that the Council’s bid was unsuccessful…”
The council conceded that their bid for the Coldcut lands was “unsuccessful”, although they are yet to receive official confirmation.
The Council recently went through a competitive process to purchase the lands known as the Coldcut, comprising 10.82 hectares, after it was placed on the market.
Calls were made by politicians of all levels and community groups for the local authority to initiate a compulsory purchase order on the lands to retain them for public use.
The council engaged in the bidding process, but The Echo understands that the lands have been agreed to be sold to a private developer for €5.3m.
South Dublin County Council stated: “It would appear that the Council’s bid was unsuccessful, and it is not intended to compulsory purchase the lands.
“It should be noted that the Council has not been officially notified of the outcome of the tender process.”
The local authority’s submission was presented in writing, and they expect a written response to this.
The 26-acre site was put up for sale in October by Dublin Bus Services Sports and Social Club and bids were accepted until late November.
The lands comprise of a former GAA pitch, a pitch and putt course and a mix of grass and astroturf playing fields.
The council recently singled out a three-hectare section of the land as a potential site for rezoning and listed as a “preferred option for public consultation.”
This three-hectare site is anticipated to accommodate 200 dwellings, should a development be constructed upon it.
The singled-out section of the Coldcut lands is located in the top-left corner of the site.
However, many of the calls that urged the council to purchase the 26-acre site were made with the idea of sports pitches and other public amenities becoming available to the public as a result of the acquisition.
Several local clubs such as St Patrick’s GAA Club, Collinstown FC and Palmerstown FC had expressed interest, as well as other groups such as the Clondalkin Autism Parents Support Network.
The full Coldcut site had not been in use for several years prior to the sale “for loads of different reasons”, according to Councillor Francis Timmons.
Cllr Timmons noted his preference for the future of the site: “I think myself and many other people feel that we would rather see it in council control where we have some kind of say in what goes in there eventually.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
