Residents angry over access road plans to housing estate
By Aideen O'Flaherty
RESIDENTS of Elder Heath Dale in Kiltipper have said that if plans to put another access road into the estate go ahead, thereby stopping it from being a cul-des-sac, it would be “an accident waiting to happen”.
There are ten houses in the Elder Heath Dale section of Kiltipper, and when the developer, Kelland Homes, lodged an application for planning permission for the construction of the ten dwellings in September 2017, they included provision for the development of another access road.
Residents of Elder Heath Dale in Kiltipper
While Kelland Homes’ application to South Dublin County Council was unsuccessful, the developer then lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála and they ultimately received planning permission in July last year.
All of the ten houses on Elder Heath Dale are now occupied, but residents were concerned after they noticed that trees were being removed earlier this year at the section of the estate where the cul-de-sac is, and where there are plans to develop more houses on nearby lands.
Local resident Sarah Wall told The Echo: “These houses were sold to us as being in a cul-de-sac, and we all bought them as a cul-de-sac. We face a green and trees.
“Last year, planning permission went up for houses that were being built across the green from us, and there were no objections to this, but then they started taking down the trees at the green earlier this year.”
When asked what she thinks the result will be if a new access road is constructed, and the Dale ceases to be a cul-de-sac, Ms Wall said: “It would be an accident waiting to happen for the children, we all have kids.
“And the road isn’t wide enough for two cars to pass. We don’t need a new road to be open because the only people that come up our road live here.
“We don’t need so many openings, and this will bring a lot of anti-social behaviour to our road.”
Sinn Féin councillor for Tallaght South, Dermot Richardson, has met with residents, South Dublin County Council and a representative from Kelland Homes to see what can be done to allay the residents’ concerns and reach a resolution.
“There shouldn’t need to be another entrance road [in Elder Heath Dale],” he told The Echo. “We’re looking for a compromise with the builders and the council, and we hope to reach a resolution.
“If there are too many road openings up there it will be used as a rat run.”
Ms Wall said that since residents raised their concerns with Kelland Homes that work on developing the new road has stopped, however there are still concerns over whether the work will resume at a later date and what impact this will have on the road’s status as a cul-de-sac.
Patrick Kelly from Kelland Homes told The Echo: “We are aware of the concerns of the residents and it’s important to us that they’re comfortable in their environment. We’re working on resolving it to everyone’s satisfaction.”
TAGS Tallaght
