ANY RELAXATION of planning standards in response to the recession – even for land that falls into the hands of the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) – would be “extremely shortsighted”, the chairman of An Bord Pleanála has said.
At a press briefing yesterday on the board’s 2008 annual report, John O’Connor also said the “excessive and unsustainable zoning of land” that contributed to the property bubble would have to be tackled by local authorities.
“If we are to return to realistic development planning, some of this land will have to be dezoned, and facing up to this has a part to play in deflating the bubble,” he said, adding that this would apply “irrespective of whether it’s in the hands of Nama or not”.
Mr O’Connor said there was nothing in the legislation establishing Nama that would change the need to obtain planning permission. He said that “the normal requirements will apply”.
“There can be no expectation that proper planning standards would not be applied to development proposals, even where the land is linked to distressed loans,” Mr O’Connor said. “Now, more than ever, we need to embrace the principles of good planning and sustainable development in order to prevent further deterioration of our environment, to respond to climate change [and] to maximise the return from expensive infrastructure investment.”
Mr O’Connor said the planning Bill now before the Oireachtas should ensure a “much more coherent and sustainable approach to zoning”. Anyone assessing property values in terms of development potential would now have to “look beyond the particular zoning” and focus on the availability of services as well as other planning issues such as density, height, impact on amenities and orderly urban expansion.
Mr O’Connor expressed concern that developers may be tempted to return to lower density development as a “safer option” in the present market and warned that such applications, particularly in major urban centres, would be “critically assessed” by the board.
The recession has had an impact on An Bord Pleanála’s workload, with a drop of more than 30 per cent in the intake of appeals in the past year. As a result, the number of cases on hand had almost halved to 1,550 and “routine delays” may soon be eliminated.
In 2008, however, “severe workload pressure” meant that the board met the statutory objective of determining appeals within 18 weeks in only 23 per cent of cases – down from 48 per cent in 2007. Last month, Mr O’Connor said the figure was 36 per cent.
Of 5,801 cases determined, appeals by developers against refusals had a 28 per cent success rate, while 39 per cent of third- party appeals were upheld.
The proportion of local authority decisions appealed rose from 6.7 per cent to 8.1 per cent.
From the introduction of the Strategic Infrastructure Act in 2007 to the end of last month, the board dealt with 137 requests from project sponsors for “pre-application consultations” on projects that were “too vague” in some cases, according to Mr O’Connor.
Of the 137 requests for projects to be processed under the Act, 33 qualified for its “fast-track” planning treatment, 46 were not regarded by the board as strategic infrastructure cases, and 18 were withdrawn or otherwise concluded.
Of 15 formal applications for permission received under the Act, eight have been concluded with four granted, three refused and one withdrawn.
Mr O’Connor said the public-service reform agenda must include rationalisation of the number of local authorities with planning functions – currently 88 county, city and town councils.
“Many of these authorities have administrative areas that are much too small and fractured to constitute meaningful planning units,” he said, adding that he would not favour “one big monolithic planning authority”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Smithfield Plaza to be completed
Dublin City Council has secured €2.4 million in EU funding for the completion of Smithfield Plaza, 10 years after it was originally constructed.
The large open plaza was built in 1999 at a cost of £3.5 million as the centrepiece of the regeneration of the northwest inner-city area. However, the southern end of the plaza, through which the Luas line now runs, was never finished.
The under-used plaza is probably best known for its annual ice-skating rink and monthly horse market.
The council must match the EU money. Jim Keogan, executive manager of the planning department, said the money would come from development levies. Work will end in December 2010.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The large open plaza was built in 1999 at a cost of £3.5 million as the centrepiece of the regeneration of the northwest inner-city area. However, the southern end of the plaza, through which the Luas line now runs, was never finished.
The under-used plaza is probably best known for its annual ice-skating rink and monthly horse market.
The council must match the EU money. Jim Keogan, executive manager of the planning department, said the money would come from development levies. Work will end in December 2010.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Search for 'small bang' designs for inner city
A COMPETITION to find new architectural designs for the sites of former Georgian houses demolished in Dublin city centre will be held by Dublin City Council on Saturday.
Some 17 groups of architects and architecture students have been asked to design replacement residential buildings based on individual plots of former Georgian houses on Dominick Street which had been demolished over the 1950s and 1960s and replaced with social housing flats. The complex, built in 1970, was one of five due to have been redeveloped through a public private partnership (PPP) between the council and developer Bernard McNamara.
Following the collapse of the PPPs last year, the council decided to go ahead with the redevelopment of social housing on the east side of the street in 2011.
It will release sites on the west side for private development at a later date.
City architect Ali Grehan said the competition resulted from concern about the poor design quality of many “infill” schemes for former Georgian plots in the inner city and loss of appropriate scale when several plots were accumulated for a development.
“Some developments in the historic core over the last 10 years have been out of scale with their plot size, particularly where plots were accumulated for larger development and it has resulted in a loss of rhythm of the streetscape.”
The council was not seeking a pastiche replacement of Georgian Dublin, but it should be possible to insert contemporary buildings that respected the Georgian streetscape, Ms Grehan said.
“We have to keep the door open on every option for the city, but we’ve had the ‘big bang’ large chunk development, so maybe it’s time to look at incremental development – the smaller bang.”
On Saturday morning, each team of architects will be allocated a plot based on the 1909 Ordnance Survey map of the west side of Dominick Street.
They will have until 4pm to make a model of a primarily residential building that could accommodate several apartments or be a single house. It may or may not have commercial space on the ground floor.
The designs that emerge may not necessarily come to fruition, but will be just one option for the future development of Dominick Street or other infill sites of its kind in the city, Ms Grehan said.
The Dublin House competition will take place at Block C in Smithfield Market, the resulting designs will be on view in Smithfield as part of Innovation Dublin week.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Some 17 groups of architects and architecture students have been asked to design replacement residential buildings based on individual plots of former Georgian houses on Dominick Street which had been demolished over the 1950s and 1960s and replaced with social housing flats. The complex, built in 1970, was one of five due to have been redeveloped through a public private partnership (PPP) between the council and developer Bernard McNamara.
Following the collapse of the PPPs last year, the council decided to go ahead with the redevelopment of social housing on the east side of the street in 2011.
It will release sites on the west side for private development at a later date.
City architect Ali Grehan said the competition resulted from concern about the poor design quality of many “infill” schemes for former Georgian plots in the inner city and loss of appropriate scale when several plots were accumulated for a development.
“Some developments in the historic core over the last 10 years have been out of scale with their plot size, particularly where plots were accumulated for larger development and it has resulted in a loss of rhythm of the streetscape.”
The council was not seeking a pastiche replacement of Georgian Dublin, but it should be possible to insert contemporary buildings that respected the Georgian streetscape, Ms Grehan said.
“We have to keep the door open on every option for the city, but we’ve had the ‘big bang’ large chunk development, so maybe it’s time to look at incremental development – the smaller bang.”
On Saturday morning, each team of architects will be allocated a plot based on the 1909 Ordnance Survey map of the west side of Dominick Street.
They will have until 4pm to make a model of a primarily residential building that could accommodate several apartments or be a single house. It may or may not have commercial space on the ground floor.
The designs that emerge may not necessarily come to fruition, but will be just one option for the future development of Dominick Street or other infill sites of its kind in the city, Ms Grehan said.
The Dublin House competition will take place at Block C in Smithfield Market, the resulting designs will be on view in Smithfield as part of Innovation Dublin week.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
GAA to buy council park land for stadium upgrade
A LOCAL authority has agreed to provide land to the GAA to facilitate improvements at Munster’s biggest stadium.
Talks are expected to take place soon to finalise the terms of the deal between Cork City Council and the GAA that will result in significant upgrades to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The city has acquired, by Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), several acres of land around the Showgrounds in Ballintemple, close to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The lands were acquired as part of the city’s plans to develop a Phoenix Park-style public park, to be called Marina Park, as part of its multi-billion docklands regeneration plan.
The city has agreed to pay a figure of €11.5 million, plus costs, for the land. The money is payable over a three-year period and a loan proposal will be brought before councillors soon.
As the CPO process progressed last year, Cork County Board saw an opportunity to upgrade the stadium. It presented a document to the Docklands Development Forum entitled Development of Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Showgrounds, Cork which included a request for some of the land to:
* Help the refurbishment and enlargement of the stadium.
* The construction of an associated "centre of excellence".
* The construction of 308 parking spaces.
* An all-weather playing pitch and a warm up area.
* An access concourse.
* And other facilities including a museum, meeting and function rooms.
The refurbished stadium would have the potential to host large concerts and conferences, the GAA said.
It sought just over 4.98 hectares (12.3 acres) of the 10.32 hectares (25.5 acres) of the lands acquired by the city through the CPO – almost half of all the land acquired by CPO. City manager Joe Gavin said while the council was fully supportive of the GAA’s plans, certain aspects would impact on the council’s vision for Marina Park.
He said parking will be available at the proposed Howard Holdings Atlantic Quarter project on the nearby former Ford site and that public transport alternatives will be available.
He said an all-weather pitch and warm-up areas could be located elsewhere.
But Mr Gavin said the city was now in a position to dispose of 0.8 hectares (1.98 acres) to the GAA to facilitate the upgrade, including a 15 metre wide spectator circulation area.
"The upgrading of Páirc Uí Chaoimh would be an important development for the city and the council is now in a position to help with the provision of proper access routes by providing approximately two acres of land surrounding the stadium," he said.
The need for a warm-up area to service the stadium will be included in the overall design of Marina Park, he added.
The price of the land, it emerged, will be hammered out in the coming weeks.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Talks are expected to take place soon to finalise the terms of the deal between Cork City Council and the GAA that will result in significant upgrades to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The city has acquired, by Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), several acres of land around the Showgrounds in Ballintemple, close to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The lands were acquired as part of the city’s plans to develop a Phoenix Park-style public park, to be called Marina Park, as part of its multi-billion docklands regeneration plan.
The city has agreed to pay a figure of €11.5 million, plus costs, for the land. The money is payable over a three-year period and a loan proposal will be brought before councillors soon.
As the CPO process progressed last year, Cork County Board saw an opportunity to upgrade the stadium. It presented a document to the Docklands Development Forum entitled Development of Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Showgrounds, Cork which included a request for some of the land to:
* Help the refurbishment and enlargement of the stadium.
* The construction of an associated "centre of excellence".
* The construction of 308 parking spaces.
* An all-weather playing pitch and a warm up area.
* An access concourse.
* And other facilities including a museum, meeting and function rooms.
The refurbished stadium would have the potential to host large concerts and conferences, the GAA said.
It sought just over 4.98 hectares (12.3 acres) of the 10.32 hectares (25.5 acres) of the lands acquired by the city through the CPO – almost half of all the land acquired by CPO. City manager Joe Gavin said while the council was fully supportive of the GAA’s plans, certain aspects would impact on the council’s vision for Marina Park.
He said parking will be available at the proposed Howard Holdings Atlantic Quarter project on the nearby former Ford site and that public transport alternatives will be available.
He said an all-weather pitch and warm-up areas could be located elsewhere.
But Mr Gavin said the city was now in a position to dispose of 0.8 hectares (1.98 acres) to the GAA to facilitate the upgrade, including a 15 metre wide spectator circulation area.
"The upgrading of Páirc Uí Chaoimh would be an important development for the city and the council is now in a position to help with the provision of proper access routes by providing approximately two acres of land surrounding the stadium," he said.
The need for a warm-up area to service the stadium will be included in the overall design of Marina Park, he added.
The price of the land, it emerged, will be hammered out in the coming weeks.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Council ruling derails €60m retail park
A BUSINESSMAN yesterday revealed that he and his business partners are paying €20,000 in bank interest each month on a project that a county council has rendered no longer viable.
Last Thursday, Clare County Council gave the go-ahead for a €60 million retail park at Smithstown, Shannon. But it refused planning permission for the neighbourhood component of the application with the result that no aspect of the retail park will commence.
The application was made by Greenband Investments and Seán Halpin. Mr Halpin criticised the council, saying: “I have never encountered the kind of stone-walling, trip-wires, impediments that was put in the way of this development here.”
Mr Halpin said that the omission of the neighbourhood centre component of the plan no longer makes the retail park viable.
Mr Halpin confirmed that he and his business partners bought the 17½ acre site, zoned commercial, for €8 million in 2005 and have since paid €2 million in interest.
He said the interest is now costing on average €20,000 each month and that this was a lot of money for himself and his partners.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Last Thursday, Clare County Council gave the go-ahead for a €60 million retail park at Smithstown, Shannon. But it refused planning permission for the neighbourhood component of the application with the result that no aspect of the retail park will commence.
The application was made by Greenband Investments and Seán Halpin. Mr Halpin criticised the council, saying: “I have never encountered the kind of stone-walling, trip-wires, impediments that was put in the way of this development here.”
Mr Halpin said that the omission of the neighbourhood centre component of the plan no longer makes the retail park viable.
Mr Halpin confirmed that he and his business partners bought the 17½ acre site, zoned commercial, for €8 million in 2005 and have since paid €2 million in interest.
He said the interest is now costing on average €20,000 each month and that this was a lot of money for himself and his partners.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wood Quay Viking wall goes on view
AN UNDERGROUND section of Dublin’s 900-year-old Hiberno Viking city wall has been put on public view for the first time at the Civic Offices at Wood Quay.
The wall was discovered during excavations of the site in the late 1970s and early 1980s in preparation for the construction of the new Dublin Corporation, now Dublin City Council, buildings.
There was significant protest over the construction of the large-scale office complex on the site of a known Viking settlement, with former president Mary Robinson among those who campaigned against the development.
The wall was at the time earmarked for demolition and storage off site, but in the end it was left in situ in the building’s basement in an area used until recently for motorbike and bicycle storage.
Measuring just under 20 metres in length and 4.3 metres in height, the section of wall is now visible through a glass viewing platform, with each stone bearing the identifying number painted on when it had been due for demolition.
“The condition of the wall now is largely as it was when excavated. Nothing has been done to prettify the wall for public view and the numbering on it is part of its story over the last 30 years,” city heritage office Charles Duggan said.
The wall is part of the new Wood Quay Venue at the civic offices which houses a conference and events space and a new permanent exhibition on the development of the city.
The My City exhibition, which opens today, allows the public to view plans for the city through videos and interactive touch-screen maps. There is a webcam where people can record their ideas for the city or their views on plans, or the exhibition itself. Admission is free.
City planning officer Dick Gleeson said the exhibition “takes consultation to a completely new level”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The wall was discovered during excavations of the site in the late 1970s and early 1980s in preparation for the construction of the new Dublin Corporation, now Dublin City Council, buildings.
There was significant protest over the construction of the large-scale office complex on the site of a known Viking settlement, with former president Mary Robinson among those who campaigned against the development.
The wall was at the time earmarked for demolition and storage off site, but in the end it was left in situ in the building’s basement in an area used until recently for motorbike and bicycle storage.
Measuring just under 20 metres in length and 4.3 metres in height, the section of wall is now visible through a glass viewing platform, with each stone bearing the identifying number painted on when it had been due for demolition.
“The condition of the wall now is largely as it was when excavated. Nothing has been done to prettify the wall for public view and the numbering on it is part of its story over the last 30 years,” city heritage office Charles Duggan said.
The wall is part of the new Wood Quay Venue at the civic offices which houses a conference and events space and a new permanent exhibition on the development of the city.
The My City exhibition, which opens today, allows the public to view plans for the city through videos and interactive touch-screen maps. There is a webcam where people can record their ideas for the city or their views on plans, or the exhibition itself. Admission is free.
City planning officer Dick Gleeson said the exhibition “takes consultation to a completely new level”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Historic city lane officially renamed after controversy
AN HISTORIC city lane at the heart of a €600m retail development was officially renamed last night after weeks of controversy.
Cork’s city councillors voted narrowly (16-13) in favour of renaming Faulkener’s Lane as Opera Lane – the centrepiece of Owen O’Callaghan’s Opera Lane shopping precinct in the heart of the city centre.
The retail project, which was officially opened two weeks ago, created 1,200 construction jobs. Some 2,000 jobs will be created once its units and Mr O’Callaghan’s nearby Half Moon Street project are fully let by early next year.
But concerns were raised last week that councillors were not consulted about the renaming proposal.
City manager Joe Gavin presented them with a report on the issue last night.
He said Faulkener’s Lane was significantly widened and developed by O’Callaghan Properties (OCP) into a "most attractive street".
He said in July 2008, OCP requested the name change and said that as the sole landowner, qualified elector and rated occupier on the laneway, the company was entitled to do so.
In May this year, the company suggested it be renamed Opera Avenue but following talks with city officials, it was decided that Opera Lane would be more appropriate.
Mr Gavin said OCP plans to commission a plaque commemorating the history of the lane to be erected on the gable wall of the Queen Anne building.
His report included a formal proposal to rename it Opera Lane.
OCP has said Faulkener’s Lane was a dirty, dingy, smelly and dangerous laneway that was avoided by Corkonians for generations.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Cork’s city councillors voted narrowly (16-13) in favour of renaming Faulkener’s Lane as Opera Lane – the centrepiece of Owen O’Callaghan’s Opera Lane shopping precinct in the heart of the city centre.
The retail project, which was officially opened two weeks ago, created 1,200 construction jobs. Some 2,000 jobs will be created once its units and Mr O’Callaghan’s nearby Half Moon Street project are fully let by early next year.
But concerns were raised last week that councillors were not consulted about the renaming proposal.
City manager Joe Gavin presented them with a report on the issue last night.
He said Faulkener’s Lane was significantly widened and developed by O’Callaghan Properties (OCP) into a "most attractive street".
He said in July 2008, OCP requested the name change and said that as the sole landowner, qualified elector and rated occupier on the laneway, the company was entitled to do so.
In May this year, the company suggested it be renamed Opera Avenue but following talks with city officials, it was decided that Opera Lane would be more appropriate.
Mr Gavin said OCP plans to commission a plaque commemorating the history of the lane to be erected on the gable wall of the Queen Anne building.
His report included a formal proposal to rename it Opera Lane.
OCP has said Faulkener’s Lane was a dirty, dingy, smelly and dangerous laneway that was avoided by Corkonians for generations.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
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