GoFundMe plan to put halt to high-rise
By Aimee Walsh
A LOCAL community group has set up a GoFundMe campaign in an attempt to save an area from “overdevelopment and an obliterated view of the mountain skyline”.
Residents of Abbots Grove in Knocklyon are teaming up with Ballyboden Tidy Towns, White Pines Residents and Stocking Wood Residents to object to a Strategic Housing Development (SHD) for the Stocking Avenue area.
Nina, Sophie, Lucie, Ellie and Hal
The development is proposed for the land behind Abbots Grove and Stocking Wood.
The local residents have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to hire planning, traffic, legal consultants and an ecologist to prepare a submission to An Bord Pleanála before July 26, 2021.
Speaking to one resident of Abbot’s Grove, they told The Echo that the residents understand the need and demand for more housing but says the apartments planned breaches “so many objectives of the Local Area Plan”.
“We understand the field behind us is zoned for housing, but it is just the scale and the height of the apartments that they are planning to put in is really our concern.”
According to the application for the Ballycullen SHD, the proposed development will consist of 329 residential units, comprising of 140 two-storey houses and 4 two five-storey apartment blocks.
Riona, Sally and Leanne at their GoFundMe event
The proposed development also includes a two-storey crèche, a new public park, residential pocket parks, communal open space, car-parking and bicycle-parking.
“There are so many developments along this road – one of 141 and another of 240 [down the road], again a massive scale, it just means that this area could turn into another Carrickmines, Dundrum or Cherrywood with the height there.
“We are so close to the Hell Fire Club and these apartments would just look horrendous and ruin the views for not just us, for anyone looking up,” the resident explained.
Aisling, Lincoln, Wayne, Raeya, Kayla, Ella, Conor and CJ
According to the residents, the apartment blocks all exceed the Local Area Plans maximum height specification of 12 metres.
In some places they are almost 17 metres above ground level and also say that dwellings planned for the Local Area Plan lands should be a minimum of 90 per cent houses – this development is 57 per cent apartments and duplexes.
“Our Local Area Plan does not envisage up to six-storey apartment blocks along Stocking Avenue.
“We did not envisage this kind of development for our area when we bought here.
“High-rise apartments such as these do not belong at the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. Yes, our country needs more affordable housing, but these SHDs that contravene Local Area Plans, are not the answer to that,” concluded the Abbot’s Grove resident.
For more information or to donate to the GoFundMe page you can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/abbots-grove-objection-to-ballycullen-shd
