An artist impression of the plans at the former An Post Depot site on St Agnes Road
Housing association loses appeal against conditions
A housing association has lost an appeal they lodged against planning conditions on a residential development in Crumlin.
Cabhrú Housing Association were awarded permission in May this year for a five-storey development of 53 one-bed apartment units at the former An Post depot site on Saint Agnes Road.
All units in the development are “intended to provide housing for independent living for older residents (60 years plus)”, according to the original application from the developer, who are a voluntary organisation that helps older people in need of housing.
However, among the conditions attached by the Dublin City Council planner, the building has been reduced to just three storeys, with a “setback fourth storey” and the number of apartments to 45.
In their appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála), Cabhrú Housing Association said they “welcome the positive decision” from DCC to grant permission, but the “removal of the fourth floor (fifth storey) in its entirety… is considered wholly unnecessary”.
“The Dublin City Council Planner’s assessment focuses on the visual impact of the fourth floor (fifth storey) only and fails to acknowledge that it has been demonstrated at Planning Assessment Stage and Further Information Stage that the building height is considered to present no impact to the streetscape in the Crumlin Village Architectural Conservation Area,” the appeal, lodged on June 16 read.
Cabhrú Housing Association also contended that the fifth storey element “does not present any impact to neighbours in relation to overbearing, overshadowing or overlooking, specifically to the houses along Windmill Road and Windmill Park”.
A separate third-party appeal was lodged just a day later with An Coimisiún Pleanála by a resident of Windmill Park who claimed that the development is “too high for the location where the prevailing height on all sides is two storeys”.
The separate appeal stated that the “insensitive height” of the proposed development would negatively impact those living in Windmill Road and Windmill Park, located to the north-east of the site, “with overbearance, overlooking and overshadowing”, plus a loss of privacy due to each apartment having a private balcony.
In their decision published on October 15, An Coimisiún Pleanála upheld DCC’s decision to restrict the height of the development and cap the number of apartments at 45.
The fourth floor (i.e. fifth storey) shall be omitted in its entirety “to protect the visual amenities and character of Crumlin Village Architectural Conservation Area,” the report from ACP read.
The original decision from DCC stated that occupation of the units would be restricted to people aged 55 or over and that they could not be “sold, let or otherwise transferred or conveyed without a prior grant of planning permission”.
The decision by ACP raised this restriction to “persons aged 60 years and older”.
“The proposed sheltered accommodation units shall not be sold to private individuals as habitable dwellings… to ensure occupation of the units is restricted to older persons/ occupants.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
