Plans to rezone industrial sites up for public scrutiny
By Maurice Garvey
PLANS to re-zone industrial sites for residential use in Ballyfermot, Kylemore, Inchicore, Drimnagh and Crumlin are set to go out to public consultation.
They are among 20 such industrial areas in Dublin put forward by Dublin City Council to members on Monday – in a proposal to initiate a draft variation of the City Development Plan.
Goldenbridge Industrial Estate
The 55 hectares of land are part of a larger plan to use former industrial estates for residential development, and have the potential to provide for over 4,000 units.
Earlier this year, plans to rezone industrial land in the city were unveiled by city planners, which included key sites at Kylemore, Park West Road and Inchicore.
The latest proposal include sites at 11 Ballyfermot Road Lower, Chapelizod Bypass/Kylemore Road, Goldenbridge Industrial Estate at Tyrconnell Road, Davitt Road and Glenview Industrial Estate, both in Drimnagh, and Brickfield House and Sunshine Estate in Crumlin.
Councillors at the meeting expressed grave reservations about the implications of re-zoning private industrial land, which will be worth a lot more if re-zoned for residential. Cllr Daithí Doolan (SF) welcomed the report for “essential housing” in areas like Ballyfermot and Drimnagh “along the Luas line”.
He stressed the need for the city council to “remain central to these plans” which in turn “should not be seen as a carpetbagger’s paradise” where the land is rezoned and ends up in private ownership.
“Anything short of quality social and affordable council housing would be a disaster for the community,” he said.
Richard Shakespeare, Assistant Chief Executive, Planning and Property Development in the city council, said the proposal would be going out to a four-week public consultation within the next month, and they hope to have that completed by Christmas.
All submissions will then be compiled and recommendations taken on board by the city council, he said.
