Hoarding at village described as dangerous and unsightly

WATCH

THE state of hoarding at the corner of Main Street and Greenhills Road has been described as “dangerous and unsightly” as a local community group looks for intervention.

Site hoarding located by the busy Tallaght junction has been called into question by Tallaght Community Council, and the mix of wooden sheets, steel fence and tarpaulin was criticised.

A query raised by Councillor Paddy Holohan yielded that the council find the hoarding to be “dangerous and unsightly” but noted that it is the responsibility of the property owner to deal with.

TCC Vice-Chair Tara De Buitléar noted that the site cannot be allowed to “rot in broad daylight.”

The Vice-Chair said: “Private landowners cannot be simply allowed to allow a site rot in broad daylight.

This is not acceptable in a historic part of our village here in Tallaght.”

The Land Registry displays that a leasehold with folio number DN1512116L is connected to it and a brochure states that the property is leasehold registered land held for a term of 999 years from November 2013.

These registered holdings also encompass parts of the nearby Greenhills Court apartment complex and recent ads for the complex include the area in question.

TCC stated: “This site is part of the complex now on the market for sale with planning permission for further development.

“The current hoarding has been in place for many years and is in a very poor state. It is an ad hoc combination of badly aged wooden sheets, a steel fence panel and tarpaulin tied to a pole.”

The hoarding acts as the boundary for an area in which some development has been touted, with planning permission currently active for 10 new apartments and a retail unit at the complex between this area and another space behind the current complex.

On the brochure, the site with hoarding is described as ‘Planned Block A’, which is anticipated to include two new three-bed apartments and a retail unit across three storeys. The site is on the market for a price of €6,250,000.

The local community council added that it believes the issue to be more than just a matter for the private landowner, and that public safety is called into question.

Tallaght Tidy Towns has painted over the hoarding in an attempt to change the visual of the site near the centre of the village, which lies within an Architectural Conservation Area.

TCC stated that some panels have been blown over in recent years and that more must be done to set up an improved site boundary.

“Panels have blown down in winter storms and could have injured passing pedestrians or drivers.

“TCC reject the response from SDCC that it is a matter for the private landowner. Given it is adjacent to a well-used public footpath and a busy junction, TCC believe public safety is paramount and this hoarding is not winter ready.

“It poses a danger to the public and SDCC roads and public realm depts need to contact the landowner to get a proper site boundary installed as a matter of urgency before the winter brings wind and storms.”

The advert for the property states that Focus Housing Association is the current lessee of Greenhills Court and O’Mahony Holdings SRL is the lessor.

Focus Housing Association has been contacted for comment.