Little John Centre to be demolished for 20 new older persons apartments

PERMISSION has been granted for the demolition of a community facility to construct a three- to four-storey development for older persons apartments.

Number Four Red Limited have been given the green light to demolish The Little John Centre in Walkinstown.

Plans are to develop 20 one-bedroom “Housing for Older People” apartments housed over three- to four-storeys.

Eight car parking spaces and 20 bicycle parking spaces, which are required to be covered, make up the rest of the plans along with bin storage and an ESB substation.

A total of 10 submissions were received by the council in relation to this development, including from Cherryfield Residents Association, and some were objecting to it altogether.

The core concerns were around the proposed use, with the site zoned LC for Local Centre with the current use as community – which the development, private housing, would contravene.

However, the local planning authority did outline that under the existing land zoning, the proposed use is permitted in principle.

The thought process is that as the site is 0.14 hectares, it is considered a small site with limited capacity to accommodate local services.

“There is a Centra shop across the road (in Dublin City), which fulfils part of the function of a local centre though it is not zoned specifically for that use,” the document from the authority reads.

Concerns around transport, parking, traffic and access were also raised through the submissions.

Another concern was around the visual impact and residential amenity, with the development scaling up to three-storey and four-storey potentially blocking daylight.

Residents at the nearby Cherryfield housing estate, which is generally uniform at two-storeys, have taken issue with the scale of the development.

In particular, Stephen O’Connor and Louise Bruton, who live on Cherry Grove where there is a plan for a new access point, were steadfastly requesting that planning permission be refused.

They believed that the development would “result in adverse impacts on the amenities of the neighbouring residential properties” would result in “overshadowing, overbearing and loss of daylight”.

South Dublin County stated that they support the development and granted permission subject to a list of 24 conditions being met by the developer.

One of the conditions is that the developer shall pay a financial contribution of €106,800 to the planning authority and deposits to the value of €213,680.

A mobility management plan, plans for a management company, facilities for electric vehicle charging points and a landscape plan need to be submitted prior to development.

The properties are restricted in their use and occupancy as a single dwelling specifically for housing for older people to prevent unauthorised development.

Permission was granted by the local authority on September 29, 2021.