Monday 19 September 2011

GP WINS COUNCIL APPEAL

A RUSH GP and campaigner for health reform has won a planning appeal against Fingal County Council which mean he will not have to hand over a whopping €10,000 to the local authority. In granting planning permission for Dr Marcus De Brun's plans to turn a home in Rush into a medical practice, Fingal County Council wanted a special contribution in lieu of parking spaces such a development would usually be required to provide.

Fingal County Council had granted Dr De Brun planning permission subject to six conditions for the retention of a change of use from a two-storey residential dwelling at 6A Main Street, Rush to a medical practice of the same size, including a single consulting room and including staff parking and ramped wheelchair access to the rear. However, one condition required the payment of the contribution in respect of the provision of controlled on-street car parking for two motor vehicles based on Fingal's Development Plan, which sets the car-parking requirement for clinics and group medical practices as 2.5 spaces per consulting room. Dr De Brun considered this to be both onerous and excessive. He said on submitted plans that two carparking spaces had been clearly outlined and the parking bay to the rear of the building was sufficient for two large spaces, although only one had been drawn on the plans. He further stated that through the gates to the rear of the building, there was also ample space for twoto-three additional vehicles.

Dr De Brun added that his practice was only one of three in Rush and that neither of the other two had off-street parking, with both availing of metered parking. Several other small businesses operating on the street did not provide off-street car parking, nor were they compelled to contribute to the upkeep of metered parking, according to Dr De Brun. An Bord Pleanála considered that it would be 'inappropriate' to charge the €10,000 because adequate off-street car parking had been provided to serve the permitted doctor's surgery.

JOHN MANNING
Fingal Independent

www.buckplanning.ie

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