Pizza saga rolls on as fresh appeal is submitted to An Bord Pleanála

By Laura Lyne

THERE has been another chapter in the pizza saga of High Street, Tallaght as an appeal has been submitted to An Bord Pleanála, after South Dublin County Council granted retention permission for Pizza Mór despite a previous refusal of permission by An Bord Pleanála.

As previously reported in The Echo, an application for retention permission for the Pizza Mór outlet was submitted after the development was previously refused and the premises was served with an enforcement order by South Dublin County Council.

The appeal was submitted by Tallaght Community Council (TCC) and was co-signed by the Mayor of South Dublin Guss O’Connell, Councillors Charlie O’Connor, Dermot Richardson, Deirdre O’Donovan and Francis Duffy and Dublin South West TD John Lahart.

A primary focus of the appeal was that a ruling was already given by An Bord Pleanála on the proposed development, on a separate application which was refused permission by the Bord.

Despite the refusal of permission, and an enforcement order served by South Dublin County Council, a second application was submitted and granted permission by the council for retention permission on Pizza Mór.

In the appeal, TCC stated that there was “unreasoned rationale cited by SDCC in their planner’s report and manager’s order to seek to support their decision of intention to overrule the decision of the Bord on this matter”.

It said: “We believe that SDCC do not present a compliant, logical or reasoned rationale to reject the ruling of the Bord on this ruling.

Three examples of “error, non-compliance, misinterpretation and unreasoned rationale” by South Dublin County Council were listed in the appeal.

TCC said: “The SDCC policy regarding take-aways was not referred to in the planning file and we believe would not have appeared to be fully considered in this decision.

“There are many local councillors and TD who supported the view that another take-away in this area would constitute a proliferation of take aways and therefore contravene the SDCC policy.”

A decision on the appeal is due from An Bord Pleanála by December 19.