Information sought on Abberley ‘family hub’ plans
By Aura McMenamin
Addtional information is being sought in relation to the proposed removal of the Abberley Court Hotel nightclub, reports Aura McMenamin.
The proposed development contains plans for the change of use for the nightclub on the second floor of the Abberley Court Hotel in Tallaght into 12 new guest rooms / bedrooms including associated internal alterations.
Like many hotels around the capital, the Abberley Court in Belgard Square, Tallaght is being used by South Dublin County Council to temporarily house homeless families.
As reported by The Echo in July, there are plans to renovate the hotel into a designated ‘family hub’, to house up to 40 homeless families.
Under former Minister for Housing Simon Coveney’s plans to tackle homelessness, the family hub model of accommodation will be an improvement from emergency accommodation in hotels and B&Bs, providing wrap-around services and meals.
According to Hugh Hogan, Director of Housing with South Dublin County Council, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has leased the Abberley Court Hotel for the project, which is being led and also financially supported by South Dublin County Council.
Mr Hogan told the Echo in July that families will be based in the hub on a temporary basis and charged €40 per week and will also be provided with breakfast and dinner, with rotational menus on offer with three or four choices.
South Dublin County Council requested additional information on the planning application on a number of points.
The Planning Authority stated that it had ‘significant concerns’ that there were errors or discrepancies within the description of the works contained within the public notices or the drawings submitted.
While the plans proposed the development of “12 guestrooms/bedrooms”, the drawings appear to detail nine “Family Bedrooms” with ensuite facilities and one “Family Room” with ‘an irregular layout that does not include the layout of a bed or ensuite.”
It requested that the applicant clarify the full extent of the nature and scale of the proposed development, including the intended use and to clarify if there are any errors in public notices or drawings. SDCC advised the applicant, that in the event of an error within the public notices, they should submit revised notices, including the one they published in the Herald newspaper in July.
SDCC requested a number of drawings.These include a drawing showing the surface water layout for the development; a drawing showing the watermain layout that shows the location of fire hydrants; a drawing in plain view showing the proposed foul drain layout of the development up to and including the point of connection to the public sewer.
SDCC also requested that the applicant submit revised drawings and documentation showing how it would propose to provide car parking for the new guestrooms/bedrooms.
The council requested additional information on September 12, and the applicant must submit the requested additional information within six months of the council’s decision.
