Second phase of Dundrum centre to be appealed

A PLAN to develop the second phase of a town centre in south Dublin is to be appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Phase two of the Dundrum Town Centre was given the go-ahead by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last month.

The plan, on a 4.4 hectare site including the original Dundrum shopping centre on Main Street, involves the demolition of properties on Glenville Terrace and Main Street and the development of retail, residential, restaurants, a creche, medical centre, library and a nine-storey, 96-bedroom hotel.

Developers Lendridge Ltd had said they hoped to begin working on the new centre by the end of this year. However, the economic downturn may delay that.

Local residents’ organisation, the Dundrum Interest Group, which represents over 1,000 households, has engaged a town planner to lodge their appeal, which must reach the planning board by today.

Spokesman for the group Stephen O’Shea said residents were concerned about the size and scale of the project, which was substantially bigger than that originally agreed with residents and approved by the council.

They also view the scope of the development as limited, the overall height too great with car park space insufficient.

Residents were not opposed to the development, he said, but had wanted something that had more community facilities and would give the area back its village feel, he said.

“The hotel will be the same height as the Luas bridge,” Mr O’Shea said.

“It’s like the Titanic turning up; it’s completely out of place.”

The library offered by the developers as part of a “planning sweetener” was not suitable in isolation and would function better in a community centre than in a shopping centre, he said.

And the park mentioned in the plan already existed and was being taken over by the developer. Residents would like to see art galleries and museums included instead of just retail outlets Mr O’Shea said.

Irish Times

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