An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to Cosgrave Developments for a 255-unit apartment scheme for Northwood Avenue in Santry in north Dublin.
The appeals board has granted planning permission for the five block apartment scheme rising to nine storeys, despite concerns expressed by Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall and some locals.
The Whitehaven scheme is to be built on a site 1km southeast of the Ballymun M50 interchange and 4km south of Dublin Airport.
The appeals board granted planning permission after finding that the scheme would constitute an acceptable quantum and density of development for the urban location.
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In her objection, Ms Shortall urged the appeals board to refuse planning permission for the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) scheme. The Dublin North-West TD stated that with a maximum height of nine storeys “this proposal is unsuitable for an outer city area”.
The scheme is made up of 229 two-bed units, 11 one-bed units and 15 three-bed units. Deputy Shortall said that the make-up of the scheme represented “yet another SHD of poor tenure mix”. She stated that the number of three-bed units proposed was “inadequate”.
Ms Shortall told the appeals board that “building high rise blocks that primarily yield smaller homes will not encourage people to see apartment living as a long-term option or meet the needs of families”.
“If this is to happen, apartments must be bigger, have greater storage, provide better open space etc. My view is that this effectively mono-tenure proposal would create a transitory population and not a settled community, which would benefit the local community in Northwood,” she said.
Twenty six of the units are to be sold to Fingal County Council for social and affordable housing.
The An Bord Pleanála inspector in the case Sarah Moran recommended that planning permission be granted after concluding that the proposal provided a satisfactory residential density and the proposed height was generally consistent with existing building heights in the vicinity.
Ms Moran stated that the development site was undeveloped zoned and serviced lands adjoining the built-up area of Northwood. She also stated that the site was a designated area where there is a vision for high density mixed-use development and to support the provision of an appropriate quantum of residential development within the Metro economic corridor.
Ms Moran stated that she was satisfied that the development would not result in significant adverse impacts on residential amenities by way of overlooking or overshadowing.
