Plans for apartments on college grounds refused
Plans for build-to-rent apartments on former playing pitches at Terenure College are refused

Plans for apartments on college grounds refused

CONTENTIOUS plans to develop 364 build-to-rent apartments on former playing pitches at Terenure College have been refused permission by Dublin City Council.

Some 208 objections were lodged against the Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) application and the city authority gave the project the thumbs down with its decision on August 4, 2022.

Located at Fortfield Road in Terenure, the proposals consist of four apartment blocks which scale up to seven storeys in height and comprises of 15 studios, 166 one-beds, 174 two-beds, and nine three-bed apartment units.

The Carmelite Order, who own the site and run Terenure College, say the sale of former playing pitches at the Fortfield Road side of the school, will help secure the future viability of the college.

There is also a build-to-sell element to the plans.

Housebuilder Lioncor lodged plans – which also include 21 houses – for the scheme that is the first to be lodged with Dublin City Council under new planning rules for large-scale house developments.

Fr Michael Troy stated that the development site area at 6.2 acres would not impact on the operation of the school.

He said the remaining lands at 15 hectares “would be vastly more than that required for the school and associated uses”, adding that the site in question was “surplus to the requirements” of the order and Terenure College.

A residents meeting was held in St Mary’s Rugby Club on June 27, hosted by Senator Mary Seery Kearney.

In a letter sent out to residents ahead of the meeting by the Senator, it states additional housing is welcomed but local residents have expressed “grave concerns regarding the need for build to sell housing”.

City planners cited concerns around transport infrastructure in the plans as the two reasons for refusing permission.

With the design and layout of the southern ‘servicing’ access arrangement, the proposed development “would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard due to the creation of vehicular/pedestrian conflict”, according to the council.

The council believes there is an “inadequate provision for car parking and internal loading and servicing would result in substantial overspill” on the adjoining public road network.

However, the council did mention in the inspector’s report that the “principle of a residential development is acceptable on this site”.

LRD applications replace the controversial Strategic Housing Development (SHD) legislation which was brought into effect to try combat the housing crisis.

SHD applications went straight to An Bord Pleanála, bypassing councils and disarming elected representatives from making a decision on large-scale development.

Legislation to end SHDs and restore the decision-making of large-scale housing developments to Local Authorities such as South Dublin County Council was passed in December 2021.

This bill replaces the SHD process with a new planning process known as Large Scale Residential Developments (LRDs) – although there is a bedding in period as all SHDs work their way through the system.

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