Yet another planning controversy moves to the High Court this week when Old Bawn Community School, in Tallaght, Co Dublin, challenges An Bord Pleanala's decision to grant permission to Shamrock Rovers for a stadium in Sean Walsh Memorial Park.
The secondary school, which has almost 1,000 pupils and a further 800 adult education students, believes it would be "engulfed" by the £7 million stadium. One of the stands would be located just 23 metres from school buildings used for exams.
The school, which opened in 1978, claims that part of the stadium would even encroach on an acre of its registered site. In addition, it would lose its playing fields in the park because South Dublin County Council has agreed to sell these lands to Shamrock Rovers.
The council is enthusiastic about the soccer team locating in Tallaght, believing that community spirit would be boosted by having its own team. It sees no problem in granting permission after it had already agreed to dispose of 12 acres of the park.
A motion authorising the disposal of the land to Mulden International Ltd, on behalf of Shamrock Rovers, was passed by the council just two days before the planning application was lodged on February 12th last year. Two months later the club had its permission.
Old Bawn Community School and some local residents were "baffled" by the council's handling of the case. They understood that Sean Walsh Park would be developed for public use, including tennis courts and a running track. No privately-run stadium was envisaged.
The council's decision to grant planning permission was appealed by the school's board of management, Tymon Bawn Community Association and the local St Maelruan's football club. An oral hearing on their appeal was held in November.
Mr Stephen Dowds, the presiding inspector, recommended that permission be refused because of the proximity of the stadium to the school. He said the likely noise levels coming from the stadium would restrict its use and seriously injure its amenities.
However, on January 14th last, An Bord Pleanala upheld the council's decision, ruling that the proposed development "would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity" and would be "acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience".
The board made this decision "having regard to the zoning objectives set out in the current development plan for the area, the location of the site relative to public transport facilities and the nature and extent of the existing and proposed road network".
It set 19 conditions, including a requirement that the capacity of the stadium be limited to 6,000 spectators, 4,000 fewer than Shamrock Rovers originally sought, in the interest of protecting the amenities of property in the vicinity.
For the same reason, An Bord Pleanala specified that first-team matches would be played only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, as well as on not more than six Wednesday nights in any calendar year. It said the stadium should not be used for concerts.
Other conditions required Shamrock Rovers to construct a 3.5-metre boundary wall separating the stadium from the school and also to provide 800 car-parking spaces in its own grounds before the playing of any matches on the site.
Mr Martin Noone, the architect who designed the stadium, said Shamrock Rovers had tried to reach an agreement with the school on night matches but its board of management seemed to be "diametrically opposed to the stadium being located there at all".
He said it would not affect the daytime use of the school and it would also cause "no more nuisance to night classes" than matches played on the existing playing fields. The replacement playing fields to the south would be located less than 150 yards from the school.
A spokesman for South Dublin County Council said its cathaoirleach, Cllr Eamonn Walsh, had offered to mediate between the two sides. Shamrock Rovers had agreed but the school said it would await the outcome of its legal challenge.