The decision by Dublin City Council to refuse planning permission for 284 residential units on lands at Terenure College runs contrary to critical and unambiguous local and national planning policies, according to an appeal lodged with An Bord Pleanála on behalf of developer Lioncor.
The scheme comprises 265 apartments and 19 four-bed houses with the apartments spread across four blocks with one block rising to six storeys.
The council refused planning permission to the Lioncor subsidiary, 1 Celbridge West Land Ltd, after concluding that it had “failed to demonstrate that the range of travel needs of the future resident population can be met by the proposed development”.
On the issue of transport the council found that the proposed car parking provision for residents was considered inadequate.
The planning authority said that the proposal would give rise to unacceptable levels of overspill and haphazard parking on adjacent roads and bus corridors.
The 11.5 acre proposed development site is located in the northwest corner of the grounds of Terenure College that was formerly used as playing pitches associated with the now closed junior school.
The scheme refused planning permission was build to sell whereas as a previous scheme refused planning permission by Bord Pleanála was a build-to-rent one.
In the comprehensive appeal drawn up McGill Planning, associate director, Brenda Butterly pointed out that every department at Dublin City Council, with the exception of the transport planning department, believed that a grant of permission was appropriate.
Ms Butterly said that it was “very disappointing” that the council did not seek further information on the plans or include a condition on the issue of parking.
Ms Butterly said that the claims that the development would lead to overspill and haphazard parking were “unsubstantiated”.
Ms Butterly said that the appeal board’s previous refusal of planning permission for the site was made on three grounds and none related to parking.
She said that all the grounds of refusal for the previous scheme had been addressed.
Ms Butterly said that the proposal “represents a high attractive apartment development in an established, highly accessible and well serviced urban location within Dublin city”.
The proposal “will provide for an effective and efficient use of these currently vacant, serviced lands”, Ms Butterly said.
The appeals board is due to make a decision on the appeal in July.
