An artist impression of the development in Ballycullen
Tidy Towns committee lodge appeal against 494 housing plans
A planning appeal has been lodged by a Tidy Towns committee against a new development of almost 500 homes in Ballycullen.
Developer Lagan Homes was granted permission by South Dublin County Council in October to build a mixture of 494 houses and apartments on land at Woodtown, Ballycullen.
Lagan Homes, a Belfast-based developer, had originally proposed 502 homes – 197 two-storey houses, and 305 apartments spread across 28 three- and four-storey apartment blocks – on the 10.41 hectare site, but this number was reduced to 494 following requests for further information by the local authority.
The development will also include a creche, public open space, 550 car parking spaces, bicycle parking, bicycle storage structures and lockers, bin stores, and eight ESB substations.
SDCC granted permission for the development on October 15, despite significant opposition during the planning application process.
The council received up to 40 third party submissions objecting to the development during the planning process, expressing concerns over “severe overlook and privacy impacts”, excessive density out of character with the area and an “unacceptable strain” on water supply and other local amenities, the impact of the development on traffic and congestion in the area, and the lack of public transport connections and pedestrian access.
Ballyboden Tidy Towns have now lodged an appeal against the council’s decision with An Coimisiún Pleanála, stating that the “design will be incongruous and will negatively impact adjoining residential amenity as well as the green infrastructure of, and surrounding the site”.
Their appeal raised a number of similar concerns to what were raised during the application process, such as density and overdevelopment, as well as the height of the development on an inclined site and how it will overlook existing residential areas, public space provision, and water drainage from the site.
“There remains a lack of transition in scale to the edge of the site that borders a rural zone unlikely to ever be developed upon; and there remains no justification for the density, pattern and scale of development being proposed,” the appeal concluded, adding that the grounds for An Coimisiún Pleanála to overturn the council’s decision were “clear and unambiguous in this instance”.
A decision is due from the planning commission by March 2026.
