Residents voice concerns over large developments
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A CITYWEST residents’ group has voiced their concerns about the numerous large-scale residential developments that are planned for the area, as they are worried that the Local Area Plan (LAP) won’t be delivered because some of the developments appear to contravene the LAP.
Citywest is part of the Fortunestown LAP, which contains a number of objectives, including facilitating the provision of secondary schools in the area, and the development of community facilities and a street network.
Plans for apartments at Citywest Shopping Centre
Under the LAP, the growth of development in the area is to be carried out with consideration to “the phased development of the Plan lands detailing the key social and physical infrastructure necessary to secure the orderly and integrated development of the area.”
A number of residential developments in the Citywest area have recently been lodged with An Bord Pleanála (ABP) through the fast-track system for Strategic Housing Developments (SHD).
This month, ABP granted permission for the development of 290 apartments, which is called the Citywest Drive SHD, beside Citywest Shopping Centre, while fast-track plans were also lodged for the development of 463 dwellings at Citywest Road and Magna Drive.
According to figures provided to The Echo by the council last November, the number of key housing sites under construction or with planning permission not commenced in the Citywest area has the capacity to deliver up to 2,074 units.
However, this figure did not include applications that were in the planning system awaiting decision at that time.
Lynda Prendergast from the Citywest Residents’ Action Group told The Echo: “We’re concerned that a lot of Strategic Housing Developments are going through in Citywest but they’re contravening the Local Area Plan.
“We’re concerned that they’re going to overpopulate an area that doesn’t have any infrastructure.
“In the LAP we were promised a garda station, sports clubs, green space. The LAP is in place with South Dublin County Council but it’s being contravened by these developments.
“We feel that if [the developers] keep getting planning permission then the LAP won’t be delivered.”
Discussing some of the other concerns that residents have about the large-scale developments that are being proposed for the area, Ms Prendergast said: “Aesthetically, there doesn’t seem to be any consideration for the appearance of these developments in our area.
“We don’t have a secondary school, and even though we’re supposed to be getting one in September, it won’t be enough.
“Traffic is already chaotic here. Residents are very irate about the developments in the area.”
Ms Prendergast also said residents are frustrated by the fact that they cannot appeal ABP’s decisions, unlike when a local authority comes to a decision about a proposed development.
To keep up-to-date with planning developments in the area, follow the Citywest Residents’ Action Group, where they are also looking for a planning consultant or architect to go over the plans for the Citywest Drive SHD with them.
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