More than 230 objections made against 580-unit apartment development in Raheny
Gordon Deegan
Dublin City Council has received more than 230 objections against contentious plans for 580 apartments planned for a site near St Anne’s Park in Raheny in north Dublin.
Last month, the Marlet Group lodged plans with the Council for 580 apartments and a 100 bed nursing home for a 16.5 acre site on lands to the east of St Paul’s College at Sybil Hill, Raheny, Dublin 5.
The move by Patrick Crean’s Marlet Group followed the High Court last year overturning a planning permission for 657 dwellings on the site.
The new scheme by Marlet subsidiary, Raheny 3 Ltd Partnership, comprises seven apartment blocks from four to seven storeys in height and has been lodged with Dublin City Council as a ‘Large Scale Residential Development' (LSRD).
The new 580 unit apartment scheme is made up of 272 one bed units, 15 two bed three-person units, 233 two bed four-person units, and 60 three bed units.
Planning documents lodged with the application state that the proposal is consistent with the Government’s new Housing for All plan and will provide 580 new, high quality homes on former institutional lands “which are ideally placed to accommodate residential development lands zoned for residential development in line with the specific zoning requirement”.
Some of those to lodge objections include Dublin TDs, Sean Haughey of Fianna Fáil and Labour's Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.
In his objection, Deputy Haughey has told the city council that he is “strongly opposed” to the scheme.
Deputy Haughey states “losing these playing fields to a large scale residential development will result in a serious loss of recreational amenity space”.
Deputy Haughey later adds that “the playing pitches at St Paul’s College were widely used” and “the loss of five grass pitches will in no way be offset by the proposal to provide a school hall and 1.5 synthetic pitches in the school grounds”.
The Dublin Bay North deputy also highlights biodiversity concerns in relation to the scheme stating that “of particular concern is the impact this proposed development will have on the Light Bellied Brent Goose”.
He says: “They are protected birds and the development will certainly impact on them. The long term loss of this feeding ground is a major consideration and not enough is known at this stage as to the consequence of such a loss”.
In his objection, Deputy Ó Ríordáin told the Council that “this is the latest in a series of planning applications made in respect of these lands going back to 2015”.
The deputy says: “The fact that no application has been successful to this point should inform the Council when making its decision.”
Deputy Ó Ríordáin has told the Council that an exhaustive observation in regard to the latest application is not necessary as the High Court "made an emphatic judgement" in relation to this site and zoning in May 2021.
Deputy Ó Ríordáin and other Labour Court members stated: “Respect the court’s ruling. That is all we ask.”
