Resident granted leave to appeal on NCT extended hours
A TYMONVILLE resident has been granted leave to appeal plans for extended opening hours at the Greenhills NCT Centre adjacent to his house.
Applicant Colm Lynch stated in his leave to appeal, which was lodged last month, that the amended opening hours at the test centre will “negatively affect my enjoyment of my home”.
Applus Inspection Services Ltd, which operates the National Car Testing service on behalf of the Road Safety Authority, lodged a planning application with South Dublin County Council last October.
The company sought planning permission for the construction of a 4.5m acoustic wall, with cranked top to the back and side boundaries of the NCT centre, and also for revised operating hours that they previously received permission for from An Bord Pleanála in 2015.
The revised operating hours are 8am to 6pm on Monday and Tuesday, 8am to 10pm from Wednesday to Friday, then 8am to 7pm on Saturday and 8am to 5pm on Sundays.
South Dublin County Council granted permission for the plans on May 19, with a number of conditions.
One of the conditions includes the stipulation that the revised opening hours are for a period of two years, and that the centre will revert back to their previous opening hours two years from the date of the grant of planning permission – unless further planning permission is sought and granted.
Applus is also required to retain “a suitably qualified professional” to undertake a survey in the area surrounding the test centre to monitor the noise impact of the centre in the evenings.
As previously reported in The Echo, residents whose houses are at the back of the test centre said that longer opening hours would have an “unbearable” impact on them as a result of noise from the centre, and they expressed concerns about the efficacy of the proposed acoustic wall.
This led Mr Lynch to submit his leave to appeal, which was granted by An Bord Pleanála this month.
In its decision to grant the leave of appeal, the appeals board stated that the development “will differ materially from the development as set out in the application for permission” as a result of the amended opening hours, which were the second condition of the council’s grant of permission.
An Bord Pleanála also stated that the “imposition” of the amended opening hours aspect of the council’s grant of permission “will materially affect the applicant’s enjoyment of the land” that adjoins the NCT centre.
As a result of the successful leave to appeal, Mr Lynch now has two weeks from the date of being granted the leave to appeal, to lodge an appeal against South Dublin County Council’s decision to grant permission for the amended opening hours.
