Density restrictions put on SIAC’s land at Monastery Road for 380 apartments
By Brendan Grehan
OPPONENTS of the density of SIAC’s proposed Monastery Road development won a small victory last week with the passing of a Specific Local Objective by South Dublin County Council.
The motion which was tabled by Councillor Eoin Ó Broin places new density restrictions on the Monastery Road SIAC land.
The motion was passed by the council on February 5 and is now included in the latest draft County Development Plan. Planning permission was granted for the development by SDCC in 2012 and lasts for 10 years.
Cllr Ó Broin said: “In 2012 An Bord Pleanála approved a highly controversial planning application on the SIAC lands along Monastery Road. The development would see 380 apartments in 18 blocks of between two and eight storeys. The plans also included retail development.”
There was opposition to the development from local residents who felt that the density of the development was too high and out of character with the surrounding residential areas.
Cllr Ó Broin added: “ At last week’s County Development Plan meeting I tabled a motion to insert a new Specific Local Objective (SLO) into the 2016-2021 County Development Plan.
“The purpose of the SLO is to restrict residential densities on the SIAC land to those of the surrounding housing estates off Monastery Road. The motion was passed unanimously and I am grateful to all the councillors who supported it.”
Cllr Ó Broin says that the new restriction does not affect the existing 10-year planning permission, but if the land is not developed within the timeframe of the planning permission the new restrictions would then apply.
He added: “This would mean that any application for an extension of the existing permission or any new application would have to take into account of the Development Plan’s demand for lower densities.”
Cllr Ó Broin described the SIAC development as “clearly the last wheeze of a dying Celtic Tiger approach to residential development”. He said it has no place in Clondalkin village and should not go ahead.
He added: “Sinn Féin is not opposed to residential and commercial development ion this site. However, like the local community, we do believe that any development should be in keeping with the surrounding area and add to rather than overburden the existing community and infrastructure.”
The Echo contacted SIAC to see if they had any comment to make about the SLO or if they had a timeframe for developing the Monastery lands but they did not respond before we went to press.
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