Playing pitch saga solved to allow 1,000 pupil school plans to go-ahead
THE saga around providing a playing pitch for the new 1,000 pupil post-primary school in Clonburris has come to an end with South Dublin County Council granting permission for the development.
The Department of Education has been granted planning permission to construct a new three-storey, 1,000 pupil post-primary school at Kishogue Cross, Griffeen Avenue in Lucan.
Also included in the plans are four Special Educational Needs Units with a gross floor area of 11,443 sq m overall and including a sports hall and ancillary teacher and pupil facilities.
21 vehicular drop-off spaces, 40 car-parking spaces and 540 bicycle-parking spaces are also included in the proposed development, along with hard and soft play areas.
This proposed development of the school ties in with the overall masterplan for the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) Planning Scheme – a plan to develop a new sustainable community in the county.
This granting of permission on February 21, 2022, brings a conclusion to issues around providing a playing pitch at the lands.
In July 2021, the council was of the understanding that the proposed school development was generally in keeping with the SDZ planning scheme and was welcomed.
However, in a letter to the Department, the council stated that the site in question was sized as part of the Planning Scheme preparation to provide a full-sized playing pitch – something which was omitted from the application.
In that, the council requested that the applicant submitted a revised red-line boundary to include a playing pitch – based off the fact that the site was sized to incorporate such a thing.
“The provision of the post primary school, and supplementary playing pitch, will enable the initial development of the Scheme, which in turn will support the ‘Community Facilities and Public Services’ principles of the 2019 Scheme both directly and indirectly,” documentation from the local planning authority reads.
The Department of Education responded on December 7, and committed to providing a playing pitch as part of the development for the school.
The Department stated that the playing pitch site is for a future retention pond only and is not included in the red line boundary as such.
However, the local planning authority is of the opinion that both surface water retention and a playing pitch can be provided for on the lands to the north of the subject site.
In response to that request, the Department outlined that is does not support the development of the playing pitch within an attenuation basin due and stated that the pitch would form part of a future planning application.
With this stance, the Department of Education decided not to provide an amended redline drawing.
On January 12, 2022, the council deemed the applicants response to this aspect of the further information request to be “not satisfactory” and again, requested a revised redline site boundary drawing.
In the end, the Planning Authority took the Department of Educations commitment to providing a playing pitch on lands to the north into consideration and deemed the issue as resolved.
In its entirety, the Clonburris SDZ is expected to deliver a target of 9,416 new homes, community space, retail space and employment space across 12 Development Areas.
The Planning Scheme is being delivered on a phased basis to ensure all necessary supports are put in place, with the 1,000 pupil post-primary school located in Development Area Seven Kishoge North West.
Under the Planning Scheme, which was set out in 2019, this phase identifies the requirement for the delivery of a school site to facilitate the construction and occupation of 1,001 to 2,000 units.
