There is growing concern about the ability of Dublin's infrastructure to cope with two major land banks in the capital that could see over 6,000 new homes built.
Yesterday, it was announced that planning permission had been granted for over 2,300 homes at the Phoenix Park Racecourse in west Dublin. It was later confirmed developers had bought former taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey's home, Abbeville, in north Dublin.
Manor Park Homebuilders, controlled by Mr Joe Moran, confirmed the purchase of Abbeville yesterday. He said a final decision on its use had not been made but that the company was focused on residential development.
It is estimated that about 4,000 homes could be built on the 235-acre Kinsealy site.
Currently, the Abbeville lands are zoned for leisure purposes so Manor Park will need Fingal County Council to rezone it for residential use if homes are to built there.
|
An Bord Pleanála has attached 30 conditions to the permission given to the building firm Flynn and O'Flaherty for residential, office and retail development on two parcels around and including the Phoenix Park Racecourse. The conditions include a €11.5 million payment towards road and traffic provision.A local action group is attempting to block the development, however.
Labour Party spokesperson on finance Ms Joan Burton said the Phoenix Park proposal "is equivalent to building a small town on the site".
Castleknock/Blanchardstown, where the racecourse is located, has seen a development explosion in the past ten years, and there has been considerable controversy over the lack of schools and other public services in the area.
Ms Burton is seeking clarification on how much the State would receive in Capital Gains Tax (CGT) from both developments.
She said that while CGT was normally a private matter between an individual and the Revenue Commissioners, in the case of lands that had been rezoned by a public act, it was in the public interest to know how much tax had been given back to State - specifically where issues around the building of infrastructure arose.
"I agree that developers should make some profit, but, some of the profits that are being made are obscene and while houses are being built with huge profits accruing to the developer, there is no new infrastructure such as schools and public transport being made available," Ms Burton told ireland.com.
"It should be incumbent on both the Minister for Finance and the Revenue Commissioners to indicate how much capital gains tax each of these developments gives rise to," she added.
The leader of the Green Party, Mr Trevor Sargent, also raised concerns about infrastructure saying the development of 4,000 homes at Kinsealy would lead to an "unworkable urban sprawl.
"It is important to bear in mind that there are no secondary schools, shops or sufficient public transport facilities in the area," Mr Sargent said.
He suggested the land should be earmarked for an organic farming centre: "This land is very special and is in pristine condition. As a result it would be suitable for a National Centre for Horticulture research and training in organic methods".