Bord says yes to almost 200 homes for Goatstown RoadAn Bord Pleanála has granted Sorohan builders planning permission to knock five houses on Goatstown Road beside Trimblestown and build around 177 apartments and 18 houses.

Although the board granted permission, it reduced the original number of apartments sought by seven and the height of one of the blocks to four storeys over basement.

Among those opposing the scheme were Ardilea Residents Association. Overshadowing and overdevelopment of the site were among its concerns, as were protecting the privacy and amenity of the rear gardens in Harvard, part of Ardilea. It said the proposal is premature in absence of a QBC and would add to traffic congestion in the area. A local doctor told the board he requires good natural light to examine patients and said a darkened environment will reduce the overall value of the practice.

The board ruled in favour of the scheme, saying the design would enhance the streetscape of Goatstown Road and that the development would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety.

Local appeals permission for 245-unit scheme in Tallaght

Planning permission granted to Kelland Homes for 245 residential units and a crèche at Killinarden, Tallaght, Dublin 24, has been appealed by a local man who fears the area will "end up with half an estate with a derelict site next door and a derelict crèche facility". Although the developer sought to build over 550 dwellings, the local authority granted permission for 245 and said the other half of the development would have to be redesigned and submitted as a separate planning application.

In his submission to An Bord Pleanála, Cathal Minehan said the land on which the 245 homes are to be built should be clearly defined and the properties, roads and parkland redesigned. "If this does not happen there is a risk the area will end up with half an estate with a derelict site next door and a derelict crèche facility which no business is prepared to engage for lack of numbers."

He says a substantial part of the site was to be purchased from the council by the developer "and this has not happened yet". He says none of the units for which permission were granted occupy the council's portion of the land "and it may now prove more economically viable for the developer to abandon the purchase of this area leaving it undeveloped and a wasteland".