Sir, - An article in your Property section of March 26th distorted the recent approval for the second application for building on St Anne's in Milltown.
The headline stated that the new scheme (B) is a "scaled down" version of the previous application (A). The reverse is the case. "B" has approval for more units than "A" - 473 compared with 416. Even discounting a new added piece of ground (2.44 acres and its 40 units), the second scheme still is greater - 433 compared with 416 - on the same part of the site as the original scheme. By any standards this represents a two-fold scaled up scheme. These approved figures can be confirmed with the planning department of Dublin Corporation. "A" is plan number 1177/ 96; "B"is 3097/97.
The article goes on to state that the developer "has opted for a lower density of houses". This again is misleading. In the major (16.23 acres), sensitive part of the site the approved density in scheme A was almost 26 units to the acre. The figure for the new scheme on the same site is almost 27, and is thus an increase. Even allowing for the dilution of density due to the addition of the 2.44 acres, the density is over 25 units per acre in the enlarged site. You must agree that this can hardly be described as "opting for a lower density".
The "tenants" (typist's error?) of Merton Road, Richmond Avene South and Park Drive were up in arms over the original scheme, as you rightly infer. All that has changed is that the building blocks have been shuffled around the site and the problem relocated.
The scheme, as before, is contrary to the proper development of the environmental amenity of this unique location.
A contributory element to this ongoing debate is that the "powers that be" have probably never seen the site and how it locates in the last piece of open land, as a lung and an amenity, in the south city suburbs. Like many things nowadays, judgements can be desk exercises, made under pressure, and out of touch with reality. Lest you fall into that category, the Alliance of Residents' Associations in Milltown and Ranelagh would be delighted to give you a tour of the area, or to give you the residents' viewpoint on prospective press releases! Yours, etc.,
Ted O'Keeffe
Chairman, Milltown and Ranelagh Alliance of Residents' Associations,
Sandford Road, Dublin 6.
Jack Fagan, Property Editor, writes: Mr O'Keeffe is mistaken is suggesting that a higher density is being sought in the revised scheme for Milltown. According to figures supplied by the developed and con- firmed in the Dublin planning office, the original proposal was for 458 housing units on 16.23 acres or 28.2 homes per acre. The latest planning application was for 473 housing units on 18.67 acres, equating to 25.3 homes per acre.