Residential development planned for Gallaher’s
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE derelict former Gallaher’s site at the junction of Airton Road and Greenhills Road has been earmarked for residential development, while builders have been on-site in the past fortnight carrying out core drilling works.
Six acres of ‘development land’ forms part of the site, which went on the market for €4.5m last February.
Workers on the Gallaher’s site on Airton Road. The site is earmarked for residential development
As reported in The Echo in October 2017, the site was previously under the ownership of property tycoon Bernard McNamara.
The Echo understands that the current owner of the Gallaher’s site has approached South Dublin County Council to progress pre-planning discussions, which are typically carried out by developers in advance of lodging a fast-track planning application for substantial residential developments.
The fast-track legislation means developers can apply directly to An Bord Pleanála for planning permission, following a pre-application consultation with the relevant local authority.
The government brought the new fast-track legislation into effect last year in response to the housing crisis, and the legislation applies to Strategic Housing Developments (SHD), which are large-scale housing developments.
It is understood that the owner of the Gallaher’s site is in the early stages of the SHD planning process, but it is not yet known what specific number or type of residential units will be included in their SHD application.
Gallaher’s was a cigarette manufacturing plant which shut in 2003, and in recent years the derelict building has been damaged as a result of two fires on the premises.
