Serious concerns regarding planning for 92-bed nursing home at Lexington House

SOUTH Dublin County Council has expressed a number of “serious concerns” regarding a planning permission application for a 92-bed nursing home at Lexington House on Monastery Road in Clondalkin.

GN Lexington Property Ltd submitted the application in January, the proposals include the demolition of a boarded up house at the site, which is located beside Clondalkin Library at the junction of Monastery Road and Monastery Park.

The plans also include the development of 87 bedrooms and 92 bed spaces in a three-storey building.

Permission is also sought for a new vehicular entrance from Monastery Park, the widening of the existing entrance to Monastery Road, a single storey detached sub-station, refuse storage, gardeners shed, a landscaped communal open space at ground level, roof terraces at first and second floor levels and 29 car parking spaces.

The council has expressed “serious concerns” relating to a number of elements of the application, including the design, height and scale of the proposed development, the level of overshadowing to the properties immediately to the west of the proposed structure and the level of overshadowing of the courtyard area within the proposed nursing home.

The traffic safety and access arrangements of the proposed development, and the landscape proposals for the site have also elicited serious concerns from the council.

The council have requested additional information from the applicant, including the submission of revised proposals which will address the impact of the proposed structure on the surrounding area, and will provide a design and finish that would add to the architectural interest along Monastery Road and Monastery Park.

Further additional information is also requested pertaining to the level of overshadowing the proposed development could cause, and revised landscape proposals.

21 third party submissions have been lodged on the application, which have highlighted a number of concerns including the scale, height and density of the proposed development, overshadowing, open space provisions and the capacity of foul sewer and service drains.

Residents of Friar’s Walk stated in their third party submission that the proposed structure would be “visually oppressive” to the area surrounding it, and “reminiscent of a concrete jungle”, and they also raised issues relating to parking, loss of privacy and the potential for increased traffic.

South Dublin County Council requested additional information on March 7, the applicant must submit the additional information within six months of the council’s decision date.

If the additional information is not received within the six month period then the application will be considered withdrawn.