Planning Permission granted for €38m redevelopment of National Basketball Arena

 Basketball Ireland has been notified by South Dublin County Council of their decision to grant planning permission for the €38m redevelopment of the National Basketball Arena. The  project will see the multi-sport and multi-use arena double its capacity to 3,272, with works expected to take 18 months to complete.

The 8000 square metre facility will have space for four basketball courts, house a gym, café, corporate facilities and office space for Basketball Ireland staff. The Arena will be fully accessible and inclusive and has the backing of a number of sporting bodies, including Volleyball Ireland, Badminton Ireland and Irish Squash, who all wish to use it.

Basketball Ireland chairperson, Prof. Seamas Donnelly, stated: “This is an important milestone for basketball in Ireland. Having a new Arena is key part of our 5-year Strategic Plan and is essential to help maintain the growth of the sport. Our registered playing population increased 21.5% last year alone and revenue generated from the Arena will filter down to every area of the game.
“Overall this is also a huge boost for Irish indoor sport, the new Arena will provide a best-in-class amenity, which is crucial as we all continue to strive for excellence.”

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Traders take Dublin City Council to court over traffic plan

 A group of Dublin traders is challenging the city council’s new traffic management plan in the courts. The Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance has applied to the High Court for leave to bring a judicial review in respect of the decisions made by Dublin City Council on traffic restrictions. The National Transport Authority has been enjoined to the proceedings. The council said it had no comment to make. Formed by solicitor Noel Smyth, the traders’ association includes the owners of several city centre car parks including Brown Thomas, Arnotts and the Jervis Shopping Centre. The Restaurants Association of Ireland and tailor Louis Copeland are among the other members. It had argued for the traffic changes to be delayed until next year, and at one point was supported by junior business minister Emer Higgins. An economic impact assessment of Dublin City Council’s new transport plan, which the alliance commissioned and published last summer, claimed it would lead to a reduction of €141m in retail spending in the city centre by 2028. The assessment also estimated that the traffic plan could result in the loss of 1,787 retail jobs and a €41m loss to the Exchequer. 

Read the full article @ The Irish Independent

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Planning permission sought for derelict coastal cottage in Wexford

 An application was submitted to Wexford County Council recently to restore a derelict cottage and kitchen as an exempted development. Cormac Cullinan applied to Wexford County Council on Friday, October 11 to restore a cottage which is located close to the coast in Ballyconnigar, Blackwater. The proposed plans are to restore the cottage and kitchen with a tin roof and rubble/adobe wall construction The planning department confirmed receipt of the application for Declaration of Exempted Development under Part 1, Section 5 of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2010. Exempted development is development for which planning permission is not required. An exempted development usually refers to developments of a minor nature, such as small extensions to houses, garden walls and so on.

Read the full article @ The Gorey Guardian

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Conditional planning permission granted for controversial Waterford City development

 Conditional planning permission has been granted by Waterford City and County Council for a controversial proposed residential development on the outskirts of Waterford City.

Plans for the proposed development in the Deerpark area of Waterford on the Outer Ring Road in Williamstown, were submitted to Waterford City and County Council in June by Noel Frisby Construction Ltd. and include 79 apartments in three blocks.

Residents of Deerpark cited concerns on the proposal for the construction of the apartments surrounding their homes.

Their objections centred on what they claim is a deviation from the original plan for the development, a blocking of natural light, a lack of parking and traffic management, among other issues.

Read the full article @ WLRFM

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Planning retention refused for Grafton Street souvenir shop

 Dublin City Council has refused planning retention for a souvenir shop on Dublin’s Grafton Street because, the council said, the outlet would set an undesirable precedent for similar type development and would devalue property in the vicinity. In refusing planning permission to Fashionflo Investments Ltd for planning retention for the Seasons of Ireland souvenir shop at 111 Grafton Street, the council also concluded that the retention of the unit would “not achieve an appropriate mix and balance of uses on this part of Grafton Street, in particular, higher order comparison retail outlets, to provide for a high-quality shopping area”. The council upheld the recommendation of its planner who concluded that the souvenir use “would not complement the area’s status as a premier shopping street”. The planning report also said that given the current mix of lower-order retail uses and comparison retail uses along this part of Grafton Street, “the retention of this unit as a souvenir shop would not promote an appropriate balance of higher-order retail uses on the street and prevent an over-concentration of non-fashion or fashion related uses”.

Read the full article @ The Irish Times

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Planning application to be made for first offshore wind farm in 20 years

 The first offshore wind farm in 20 years will lodge a planning application this week, seeking permission to install turbines off the Co Louth coast. Oriel Windfarm wants to erect 25 turbines with a tip height of 270 metres in waters between Cooley Point and Dunany Point. They would be 6km from shore at their closest point to land at Cooley Point and be spread out over an area covering almost 28 square kilometres. The windfarm would have the capacity to generate 375 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 300,000 homes. Ireland has just one offshore wind farm, the Arklow Bank Wind Park which has been running seven small turbines since 2004. Plans for six others are at an advanced stage but Oriel will be the first to submit its application to An Bord Pleanála.

Read the full article @ The Irish Independent 

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Residents of north Dublin ‘millionaires row’ lose planning battle over new development

 Residents at an upmarket estate in Malahide in north Dublin known as ‘Millionaires Row’ have failed in their bid to prevent a new nearby residential scheme getting the green light. This follows An Bord Pleanála granting planning permission to a Hollybrook Homes subsidiary, Kinwest Ltd, for the construction of 91 homes on the grounds of Auburn House at Little Auburn and Streamstown off the R107 Malahide Road. Auburn House was the Malahide home of Mary McEvaddy, the former wife of aviation tycoon Ulick McEvaddy. It was sold for an undisclosed price in 2019 to UK construction firm Hollybrook, headed by developer Michael Cox. The Kinwest scheme is made up of 44 houses, 34 apartments and 13 duplexes. In giving the scheme the go-ahead, the appeals board has dismissed the appeal lodged by Savaron Ltd, a management company representing residents of the nearby Abington estate. Abington was one of Dublin’s first purpose-built millionaires’ estates and comprises 50 luxurious homes that lie in 43 acres of parkland near Malahide Castle and marina.

Read the full article @ The Irish Independent 
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