TANAISTE Eamon Gilmore asked a series of official planning questions when he was a county councillor about a site he later bought and on which he built his family home, the Irish Independent has learned.
This was despite previous planning rulings, which found that the site at Corbawn Close in Shankill, Co Dublin, was "unsuitable" for a house.
Mr Gilmore also initiated legal proceedings against one neighbour who objected to his application.
The replies to his planning queries suggested that an application for a two-storey house might at that point be looked upon favourably.
He and his wife Carol Hanney subsequently applied for -- and were granted -- permission for a two-storey house, where they still live.
A number of years earlier, an application for a two-storey house had been refused on the basis that the site was unsuitable for the building of any house.
Mr Gilmore said the questions were publicly available and insisted that his application had been made in the normal way.
The 1994 planning application, lodged when he was months away from becoming a junior minister, was granted by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and approved by An Bord Pleanala.
Developer
Mr Gilmore was a Dun Laoghaire councillor for the Workers' Party on the now-defunct Dublin County Council in the late 1980s and asked a series of questions about the Shankill site between then and the early 1990s.
The application says Mr Gilmore entered into a contract to buy the site and the sale was finalised in 1995.
Mr Gilmore was elected to the council in 1985. At the time, he was living in a smaller house in the Corbawn Close estate.
At a meeting of a housing and planning district sub-committee in April 1987, he asked "what consideration has been given . . . to the various options regarding the site".
He was told:
?That it was possible an application for "a two-storey dwelling might not give rise to the same volume of objection as the proposal for the bungalow".
?That the site was "not considered suitable for use as public open space".
?That it "has been examined by the derelict sites section but it is not considered to be derelict".
At a meeting of the district sub-committee in July 1987, Mr Gilmore asked "what arrangements, if any, were made with the developer . . . and what consideration was given to the future of that site?"
He was told by the council that the "dimensions of the site . . . suggest that a two-storey dwelling could be accommodated".
Mr Gilmore insists the replies to "these questions have always been public information and are available in the published minutes".
He added: "The abandoned condition of the site had been a matter of concern in the neighbourhood for some years and because of this I was asked by neighbours to raise questions about it."
Fiach Kelly Political Correspondent
Irish Independent
www.bpsplanningconsultants.ie
Showing posts with label planning and development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning and development. Show all posts
Monday, 17 October 2011
Monday, 3 October 2011
€110m development site back on market at €12.5m
A DEVELOPMENT SITE for the proposed Opera shopping centre in Limerick city centre, sold at the peak of the property boom for €110 million, is back on the market at a mere €12.5 million. The collapse in value underlines how much even prime retail sites have fallen in cities as well as towns. It also reflects the difficulties in securing funding for large-scale shopping facilities.
The 2005 sale of the rundown, vacant buildings off Patrick Street in Limerick is frequently cited among the great excesses of the property boom along with the €417 million purchase of the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend and the €315 million acquisition of the Millennium Park in Naas.
Estate agents Savills are to launch a marketing campaign today to find a buyer for the 3.2-acre site which has planning permission for a multi-storey shopping centre with 38,541sq m (414,855 sq ft) of retail space and an underground car park. The sale has been called by developers Gerry O’Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney of Regeneration Developments, whose loans have been transferred to Nama.
The move to sell the site for the proposed €300 million Opera Centre comes only weeks after the Danish bank NIB reached agreement with an Indian-born developer, Suneil Sharama, for him to take control of a partially built shopping centre along the Dublin Road on the outskirts of Limerick city. Liam Carroll’s Zoe Group abandoned the 15-acre site for the Parkway Valley shopping centre about four years ago when its business collapsed. Local planners are now expected to allow an extension of time on the planning permission for the 39,650sq m (426,792sq ft) retail complex.
Coincidentally, the new promoter for that scheme, Mr Sharma, who is based in the North, is more familiar with the site for the Opera centre than anyone else – having quietly assembled the inner-city quarter along with another investor, Sam Morrison, over a number of years before selling it for an astronomical price to Regeneration Developments.
Limerick city planners granted planning approval for the Opera Centre in the hope that it might help to shift the balance back in favour of the city, which has been in serious decline for many years following the indiscriminate development of more than half a dozen shopping centres in the county-council areas adjoining the city boundary.
Footfall in the city centre has dropped dramatically in recent years as big-name overseas traders opted for out-of-town locations, leaving only three high-profile stores (Penney’s, Brown Thomas and Debenhams) with a broad appeal to city shoppers.
Many of the city’s once-thriving retail streets, including Patrick Street, William Street and the modern Cruises Street, have lost both traders and shoppers. Limerick is the only city in Ireland where rents in out-of-town shopping centres are almost twice as high as those in the city.
Much of the decline in city-centre trading is due to the way the county planners allowed the Crescent shopping centre to grow like Topsy. That trend was finally scuppered last year when An Bord Pleanála overruled the county planners and refused the Dublin-based owners (the Kenny family) permission for yet another major store with a floor area of 9,754 sq m (105,000 sq ft) for Marks Spencer.
The new Government’s recent decision to amalgamate the two local authorities is set to change future planning in the city and county. With Marks Spencer still to decide where to open its first Limerick store, Parkway Valley and whoever acquires the Opera site will both be pitching for the UK multiple as an anchor.
One developer who may take another look at the Opera site is Michael Tiernan, whose Arthur’s Quay shopping centre on the opposite side of Patrick Street has become quite dated. However, if linked up with the proposed new shopping complex it has the potential to turn around the city’s fortunes.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The 2005 sale of the rundown, vacant buildings off Patrick Street in Limerick is frequently cited among the great excesses of the property boom along with the €417 million purchase of the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend and the €315 million acquisition of the Millennium Park in Naas.
Estate agents Savills are to launch a marketing campaign today to find a buyer for the 3.2-acre site which has planning permission for a multi-storey shopping centre with 38,541sq m (414,855 sq ft) of retail space and an underground car park. The sale has been called by developers Gerry O’Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney of Regeneration Developments, whose loans have been transferred to Nama.
The move to sell the site for the proposed €300 million Opera Centre comes only weeks after the Danish bank NIB reached agreement with an Indian-born developer, Suneil Sharama, for him to take control of a partially built shopping centre along the Dublin Road on the outskirts of Limerick city. Liam Carroll’s Zoe Group abandoned the 15-acre site for the Parkway Valley shopping centre about four years ago when its business collapsed. Local planners are now expected to allow an extension of time on the planning permission for the 39,650sq m (426,792sq ft) retail complex.
Coincidentally, the new promoter for that scheme, Mr Sharma, who is based in the North, is more familiar with the site for the Opera centre than anyone else – having quietly assembled the inner-city quarter along with another investor, Sam Morrison, over a number of years before selling it for an astronomical price to Regeneration Developments.
Limerick city planners granted planning approval for the Opera Centre in the hope that it might help to shift the balance back in favour of the city, which has been in serious decline for many years following the indiscriminate development of more than half a dozen shopping centres in the county-council areas adjoining the city boundary.
Footfall in the city centre has dropped dramatically in recent years as big-name overseas traders opted for out-of-town locations, leaving only three high-profile stores (Penney’s, Brown Thomas and Debenhams) with a broad appeal to city shoppers.
Many of the city’s once-thriving retail streets, including Patrick Street, William Street and the modern Cruises Street, have lost both traders and shoppers. Limerick is the only city in Ireland where rents in out-of-town shopping centres are almost twice as high as those in the city.
Much of the decline in city-centre trading is due to the way the county planners allowed the Crescent shopping centre to grow like Topsy. That trend was finally scuppered last year when An Bord Pleanála overruled the county planners and refused the Dublin-based owners (the Kenny family) permission for yet another major store with a floor area of 9,754 sq m (105,000 sq ft) for Marks Spencer.
The new Government’s recent decision to amalgamate the two local authorities is set to change future planning in the city and county. With Marks Spencer still to decide where to open its first Limerick store, Parkway Valley and whoever acquires the Opera site will both be pitching for the UK multiple as an anchor.
One developer who may take another look at the Opera site is Michael Tiernan, whose Arthur’s Quay shopping centre on the opposite side of Patrick Street has become quite dated. However, if linked up with the proposed new shopping complex it has the potential to turn around the city’s fortunes.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
€110m development site back on market at €12.5m
A DEVELOPMENT SITE for the proposed Opera shopping centre in Limerick city centre, sold at the peak of the property boom for €110 million, is back on the market at a mere €12.5 million. The collapse in value underlines how much even prime retail sites have fallen in cities as well as towns. It also reflects the difficulties in securing funding for large-scale shopping facilities.
The 2005 sale of the rundown, vacant buildings off Patrick Street in Limerick is frequently cited among the great excesses of the property boom along with the €417 million purchase of the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend and the €315 million acquisition of the Millennium Park in Naas.
Estate agents Savills are to launch a marketing campaign today to find a buyer for the 3.2-acre site which has planning permission for a multi-storey shopping centre with 38,541sq m (414,855 sq ft) of retail space and an underground car park. The sale has been called by developers Gerry O’Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney of Regeneration Developments, whose loans have been transferred to Nama.
The move to sell the site for the proposed €300 million Opera Centre comes only weeks after the Danish bank NIB reached agreement with an Indian-born developer, Suneil Sharama, for him to take control of a partially built shopping centre along the Dublin Road on the outskirts of Limerick city. Liam Carroll’s Zoe Group abandoned the 15-acre site for the Parkway Valley shopping centre about four years ago when its business collapsed. Local planners are now expected to allow an extension of time on the planning permission for the 39,650sq m (426,792sq ft) retail complex.
Coincidentally, the new promoter for that scheme, Mr Sharma, who is based in the North, is more familiar with the site for the Opera centre than anyone else – having quietly assembled the inner-city quarter along with another investor, Sam Morrison, over a number of years before selling it for an astronomical price to Regeneration Developments.
Limerick city planners granted planning approval for the Opera Centre in the hope that it might help to shift the balance back in favour of the city, which has been in serious decline for many years following the indiscriminate development of more than half a dozen shopping centres in the county-council areas adjoining the city boundary.
Footfall in the city centre has dropped dramatically in recent years as big-name overseas traders opted for out-of-town locations, leaving only three high-profile stores (Penney’s, Brown Thomas and Debenhams) with a broad appeal to city shoppers.
Many of the city’s once-thriving retail streets, including Patrick Street, William Street and the modern Cruises Street, have lost both traders and shoppers. Limerick is the only city in Ireland where rents in out-of-town shopping centres are almost twice as high as those in the city.
Much of the decline in city-centre trading is due to the way the county planners allowed the Crescent shopping centre to grow like Topsy. That trend was finally scuppered last year when An Bord Pleanála overruled the county planners and refused the Dublin-based owners (the Kenny family) permission for yet another major store with a floor area of 9,754 sq m (105,000 sq ft) for Marks Spencer.
The new Government’s recent decision to amalgamate the two local authorities is set to change future planning in the city and county. With Marks Spencer still to decide where to open its first Limerick store, Parkway Valley and whoever acquires the Opera site will both be pitching for the UK multiple as an anchor.
One developer who may take another look at the Opera site is Michael Tiernan, whose Arthur’s Quay shopping centre on the opposite side of Patrick Street has become quite dated. However, if linked up with the proposed new shopping complex it has the potential to turn around the city’s fortunes.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The 2005 sale of the rundown, vacant buildings off Patrick Street in Limerick is frequently cited among the great excesses of the property boom along with the €417 million purchase of the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend and the €315 million acquisition of the Millennium Park in Naas.
Estate agents Savills are to launch a marketing campaign today to find a buyer for the 3.2-acre site which has planning permission for a multi-storey shopping centre with 38,541sq m (414,855 sq ft) of retail space and an underground car park. The sale has been called by developers Gerry O’Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney of Regeneration Developments, whose loans have been transferred to Nama.
The move to sell the site for the proposed €300 million Opera Centre comes only weeks after the Danish bank NIB reached agreement with an Indian-born developer, Suneil Sharama, for him to take control of a partially built shopping centre along the Dublin Road on the outskirts of Limerick city. Liam Carroll’s Zoe Group abandoned the 15-acre site for the Parkway Valley shopping centre about four years ago when its business collapsed. Local planners are now expected to allow an extension of time on the planning permission for the 39,650sq m (426,792sq ft) retail complex.
Coincidentally, the new promoter for that scheme, Mr Sharma, who is based in the North, is more familiar with the site for the Opera centre than anyone else – having quietly assembled the inner-city quarter along with another investor, Sam Morrison, over a number of years before selling it for an astronomical price to Regeneration Developments.
Limerick city planners granted planning approval for the Opera Centre in the hope that it might help to shift the balance back in favour of the city, which has been in serious decline for many years following the indiscriminate development of more than half a dozen shopping centres in the county-council areas adjoining the city boundary.
Footfall in the city centre has dropped dramatically in recent years as big-name overseas traders opted for out-of-town locations, leaving only three high-profile stores (Penney’s, Brown Thomas and Debenhams) with a broad appeal to city shoppers.
Many of the city’s once-thriving retail streets, including Patrick Street, William Street and the modern Cruises Street, have lost both traders and shoppers. Limerick is the only city in Ireland where rents in out-of-town shopping centres are almost twice as high as those in the city.
Much of the decline in city-centre trading is due to the way the county planners allowed the Crescent shopping centre to grow like Topsy. That trend was finally scuppered last year when An Bord Pleanála overruled the county planners and refused the Dublin-based owners (the Kenny family) permission for yet another major store with a floor area of 9,754 sq m (105,000 sq ft) for Marks Spencer.
The new Government’s recent decision to amalgamate the two local authorities is set to change future planning in the city and county. With Marks Spencer still to decide where to open its first Limerick store, Parkway Valley and whoever acquires the Opera site will both be pitching for the UK multiple as an anchor.
One developer who may take another look at the Opera site is Michael Tiernan, whose Arthur’s Quay shopping centre on the opposite side of Patrick Street has become quite dated. However, if linked up with the proposed new shopping complex it has the potential to turn around the city’s fortunes.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Council rejects plans for crematorium and graveyard
PLANS FOR a graveyard and crematorium close to the Dublin Mountains have been rejected.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said the proposed Kiltiernan Burial Ground and Crematorium Park on the Ballycorus Road would be in breach of zoning.
The development, proposed by Hantise Ltd and Ashman Properties Ltd, had been the subject of more than 80 objections and 24 submissions of support.
Issues raised included concerns about emissions from the cremators and their effects on health, the impact of traffic and the effect of the development on the Loughlinstown river.
The development, on the site of a former lead mine, could also release contaminants into the waterways, objectors said.
The plan had included a two-storey crematorium with a chapel and seating for 150 people, along with prayer rooms, a family room, an administrative office and two underground cremators.
A one-acre traditional graveyard was also part of the proposal as well as an urn and ash grave burial area, and a “garden reflection pavilion” with 10ft “remembrance walls”.
The council said the site of the proposed development was located in an area zoned to protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture, which did not allow for the land to be used for a crematorium.
It also said the applicant had not submitted sufficient information regarding drainage proposals for the proposed burial grounds.
“This should include a hydro-geological assessment to determine the risk assessment of the cumulative impact of the combined proposed traditional burial ground and proposed waste water treatment system on the environment and public health,” the council said. It is expected a revised proposal will be lodged for the site in the next few months.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said the proposed Kiltiernan Burial Ground and Crematorium Park on the Ballycorus Road would be in breach of zoning.
The development, proposed by Hantise Ltd and Ashman Properties Ltd, had been the subject of more than 80 objections and 24 submissions of support.
Issues raised included concerns about emissions from the cremators and their effects on health, the impact of traffic and the effect of the development on the Loughlinstown river.
The development, on the site of a former lead mine, could also release contaminants into the waterways, objectors said.
The plan had included a two-storey crematorium with a chapel and seating for 150 people, along with prayer rooms, a family room, an administrative office and two underground cremators.
A one-acre traditional graveyard was also part of the proposal as well as an urn and ash grave burial area, and a “garden reflection pavilion” with 10ft “remembrance walls”.
The council said the site of the proposed development was located in an area zoned to protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture, which did not allow for the land to be used for a crematorium.
It also said the applicant had not submitted sufficient information regarding drainage proposals for the proposed burial grounds.
“This should include a hydro-geological assessment to determine the risk assessment of the cumulative impact of the combined proposed traditional burial ground and proposed waste water treatment system on the environment and public health,” the council said. It is expected a revised proposal will be lodged for the site in the next few months.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Council rejects plans for crematorium and graveyard
PLANS FOR a graveyard and crematorium close to the Dublin Mountains have been rejected.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said the proposed Kiltiernan Burial Ground and Crematorium Park on the Ballycorus Road would be in breach of zoning.
The development, proposed by Hantise Ltd and Ashman Properties Ltd, had been the subject of more than 80 objections and 24 submissions of support.
Issues raised included concerns about emissions from the cremators and their effects on health, the impact of traffic and the effect of the development on the Loughlinstown river.
The development, on the site of a former lead mine, could also release contaminants into the waterways, objectors said.
The plan had included a two-storey crematorium with a chapel and seating for 150 people, along with prayer rooms, a family room, an administrative office and two underground cremators.
A one-acre traditional graveyard was also part of the proposal as well as an urn and ash grave burial area, and a “garden reflection pavilion” with 10ft “remembrance walls”.
The council said the site of the proposed development was located in an area zoned to protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture, which did not allow for the land to be used for a crematorium.
It also said the applicant had not submitted sufficient information regarding drainage proposals for the proposed burial grounds.
“This should include a hydro-geological assessment to determine the risk assessment of the cumulative impact of the combined proposed traditional burial ground and proposed waste water treatment system on the environment and public health,” the council said. It is expected a revised proposal will be lodged for the site in the next few months.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said the proposed Kiltiernan Burial Ground and Crematorium Park on the Ballycorus Road would be in breach of zoning.
The development, proposed by Hantise Ltd and Ashman Properties Ltd, had been the subject of more than 80 objections and 24 submissions of support.
Issues raised included concerns about emissions from the cremators and their effects on health, the impact of traffic and the effect of the development on the Loughlinstown river.
The development, on the site of a former lead mine, could also release contaminants into the waterways, objectors said.
The plan had included a two-storey crematorium with a chapel and seating for 150 people, along with prayer rooms, a family room, an administrative office and two underground cremators.
A one-acre traditional graveyard was also part of the proposal as well as an urn and ash grave burial area, and a “garden reflection pavilion” with 10ft “remembrance walls”.
The council said the site of the proposed development was located in an area zoned to protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture, which did not allow for the land to be used for a crematorium.
It also said the applicant had not submitted sufficient information regarding drainage proposals for the proposed burial grounds.
“This should include a hydro-geological assessment to determine the risk assessment of the cumulative impact of the combined proposed traditional burial ground and proposed waste water treatment system on the environment and public health,” the council said. It is expected a revised proposal will be lodged for the site in the next few months.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 22 August 2011
Home extensions up, newbuilds down
CSO figures show that more people are opting to extend their home than to build a new one, says chartered engineer and builder Damien McKay.
He says planning application statistics for the first quarter of 2011 show that over 1,630 people have been granted permission for an extension, compared to less than 1,280 permissions for a new home.
“For about 15 years and over the boom years, it was the other way round with applications for new homes often being twice as high.”
But the figures for the last 12 months from April 2010 show this trend has now completely reversed, says McKay. McKay says the perceived costs of building or extending a home can be very off-putting, but if handled the right way, they can be done within a tight budget.
The cost of building an extension can overrun by €50,000 or more, he says.
“Changing the design or specification during the construction stage can increase costs by 30 per cent alone.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
He says planning application statistics for the first quarter of 2011 show that over 1,630 people have been granted permission for an extension, compared to less than 1,280 permissions for a new home.
“For about 15 years and over the boom years, it was the other way round with applications for new homes often being twice as high.”
But the figures for the last 12 months from April 2010 show this trend has now completely reversed, says McKay. McKay says the perceived costs of building or extending a home can be very off-putting, but if handled the right way, they can be done within a tight budget.
The cost of building an extension can overrun by €50,000 or more, he says.
“Changing the design or specification during the construction stage can increase costs by 30 per cent alone.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 4 March 2011
Property group must decide on Lucan site
A PROPERTY group that posted huge losses last year is now faced with a decision on whether to go ahead with the development of land near Lucan that it agreed to acquire from South Dublin County Council at the height of the boom in November 2006.
Shelbourne Development Ltd, controlled by Garret Kelleher and chiefly known for its abortive Chicago Spire project, swapped land at Cooldrinagh, near Leixlip, for a 41.5-acre site at Kishogue, in the Balgaddy/Clonburris strategic development zone.
Under the contract, Shelbourne would pay €40 million for the site and a further €38,500 for each residential unit it gets permission for over and above 650 units. But Mr Kelleher said this would be offset by the council paying an equivalent sum for 200 social housing units.
Speaking from New York last night, he said the deal was done “prior to the world changing”, and its contract with the council specified Shelbourne now had a period of time to consider what it would do with a project on which it had been working for nearly five years.
Under the contract, 10 per cent of the purchase price would have to be paid within one month of securing planning permission. With the site-related loans now in Nama, it is expected that the State’s “bad bank” will have a role in deciding whether it goes ahead.
Shelbourne had originally sought permission for 973 apartments and houses on the site, but council planners reduced the number of residential units to 898, and granted permission for shops and other community facilities.
After an appeal by the ESB, the Combined Griffeen Planning Action Group representing local residents and Cllr William Lavelle (FG), An Bord Pleanála has approved an amended version of the scheme, with 32 conditions.
The board made its decision having regard to the Department of the Environment’s sustainable residential development guidelines, the South Dublin County Development Plan and the designation of the area as a strategic development zone.
It also took into account the site’s location close to the Dublin-Cork railway line, the pattern of development in the area, Shelbourne’s plan to locate six-storey apartment blocks away from existing two-storey housing, and its phased approach.
Subject to a reduction in the number of residential units to about 850, the board considered the scheme would have an “acceptable density and housing mix” and would not be “excessively high” or seriously injure local amenities.
Mr Lavelle said he was “appalled and gutted” by the ruling: “It beggars belief that An Bord Pleanála could rule that locating six-storey buildings next to two-storey housing would not be visually obtrusive or would not have any impact on traffic.”
He said neither the county council nor the appeals board should have even considered “this massive development” while work on developing the nearby “model town” at Adamstown had stalled. Indeed, he felt Clonburris would “undermine” Adamstown. “Ultimately, the community of Lucan South is now paying a heavy price for very bad decisions taken by the 2004-2009 county council,” he said, adding the council had ignored submissions from many people in the area in adopting the Clonburris local area plan.
The decision was a direct consequence of the land swap, he said, noting An Bord Pleanála had refused permission for the park-and-ride site, citing environmental sensitivities as to the Liffey Valley. So it was “unlikely that the council will ever get to build on the land it received as part of the land-swap”.
“Now that the planning process had been concluded, I will be seeking a full inquiry into this disastrous land-swap,” he said, adding the “only hope now is that market conditions may mean that this over-ambitious proposal will never see the light of the day.”
In February 2010, a company in the Shelbourne Property Group reported a pretax loss of nearly €150 million, largely due to the soaring Chicago Spire project – stalled for at least two years – that was being part-funded by Anglo Irish Bank and is now the subject of litigation.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Shelbourne Development Ltd, controlled by Garret Kelleher and chiefly known for its abortive Chicago Spire project, swapped land at Cooldrinagh, near Leixlip, for a 41.5-acre site at Kishogue, in the Balgaddy/Clonburris strategic development zone.
Under the contract, Shelbourne would pay €40 million for the site and a further €38,500 for each residential unit it gets permission for over and above 650 units. But Mr Kelleher said this would be offset by the council paying an equivalent sum for 200 social housing units.
Speaking from New York last night, he said the deal was done “prior to the world changing”, and its contract with the council specified Shelbourne now had a period of time to consider what it would do with a project on which it had been working for nearly five years.
Under the contract, 10 per cent of the purchase price would have to be paid within one month of securing planning permission. With the site-related loans now in Nama, it is expected that the State’s “bad bank” will have a role in deciding whether it goes ahead.
Shelbourne had originally sought permission for 973 apartments and houses on the site, but council planners reduced the number of residential units to 898, and granted permission for shops and other community facilities.
After an appeal by the ESB, the Combined Griffeen Planning Action Group representing local residents and Cllr William Lavelle (FG), An Bord Pleanála has approved an amended version of the scheme, with 32 conditions.
The board made its decision having regard to the Department of the Environment’s sustainable residential development guidelines, the South Dublin County Development Plan and the designation of the area as a strategic development zone.
It also took into account the site’s location close to the Dublin-Cork railway line, the pattern of development in the area, Shelbourne’s plan to locate six-storey apartment blocks away from existing two-storey housing, and its phased approach.
Subject to a reduction in the number of residential units to about 850, the board considered the scheme would have an “acceptable density and housing mix” and would not be “excessively high” or seriously injure local amenities.
Mr Lavelle said he was “appalled and gutted” by the ruling: “It beggars belief that An Bord Pleanála could rule that locating six-storey buildings next to two-storey housing would not be visually obtrusive or would not have any impact on traffic.”
He said neither the county council nor the appeals board should have even considered “this massive development” while work on developing the nearby “model town” at Adamstown had stalled. Indeed, he felt Clonburris would “undermine” Adamstown. “Ultimately, the community of Lucan South is now paying a heavy price for very bad decisions taken by the 2004-2009 county council,” he said, adding the council had ignored submissions from many people in the area in adopting the Clonburris local area plan.
The decision was a direct consequence of the land swap, he said, noting An Bord Pleanála had refused permission for the park-and-ride site, citing environmental sensitivities as to the Liffey Valley. So it was “unlikely that the council will ever get to build on the land it received as part of the land-swap”.
“Now that the planning process had been concluded, I will be seeking a full inquiry into this disastrous land-swap,” he said, adding the “only hope now is that market conditions may mean that this over-ambitious proposal will never see the light of the day.”
In February 2010, a company in the Shelbourne Property Group reported a pretax loss of nearly €150 million, largely due to the soaring Chicago Spire project – stalled for at least two years – that was being part-funded by Anglo Irish Bank and is now the subject of litigation.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Appeals body to host hearing into casino
AN ORAL hearing to discuss objections to a planned casino venue in Tipperary is set to take place on March 8th.
The State planning appeals board, An Bord Pleanála, has decided to host the oral hearing to discuss the planned €460 million development near Thurles.
A final decision is expected to be made before next June.
If the business venture gets the go-ahead, it is expected to create 2,000 full-time jobs. A further 1,000 people will be employed during the three years of construction.
The planned 800-acre development will be known as the Tipperary Venue and the chief investor is Dublin-based businessman Richard Quirke.
A former garda from Thurles, he is best known in the gaming industry for his Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium.
The ambitious project includes a racecourse featuring a national hunt track, sprint track and all-weather floodlit track.
A 500-room hotel is also planned to incorporate a casino and the centrepiece of the venue will be a replica of the White House in Washington, in homage to local man James Hoban, who designed the original building.
A golf course and greyhound track and a 15,000-seat entertainment venue are also planned.
The Tipperary Venue is also being backed by racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien, concert promoter Denis Desmond and local Independent TD, Michael Lowry.
The oral hearing is to take place at the Horse and Jockey Hotel close to the town of Thurles.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The State planning appeals board, An Bord Pleanála, has decided to host the oral hearing to discuss the planned €460 million development near Thurles.
A final decision is expected to be made before next June.
If the business venture gets the go-ahead, it is expected to create 2,000 full-time jobs. A further 1,000 people will be employed during the three years of construction.
The planned 800-acre development will be known as the Tipperary Venue and the chief investor is Dublin-based businessman Richard Quirke.
A former garda from Thurles, he is best known in the gaming industry for his Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium.
The ambitious project includes a racecourse featuring a national hunt track, sprint track and all-weather floodlit track.
A 500-room hotel is also planned to incorporate a casino and the centrepiece of the venue will be a replica of the White House in Washington, in homage to local man James Hoban, who designed the original building.
A golf course and greyhound track and a 15,000-seat entertainment venue are also planned.
The Tipperary Venue is also being backed by racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien, concert promoter Denis Desmond and local Independent TD, Michael Lowry.
The oral hearing is to take place at the Horse and Jockey Hotel close to the town of Thurles.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 7 February 2011
Councillors to decide future of planned retirement home
A CONTROVERSIAL retirement village proposed for the foot of the Dublin mountains near Sandyford may be closer to development after a local authority meeting next week.
Councillors in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are to consider a motion to amend the council’s county development plan specifically to allow for a nursing home on lands in a scenic location at Ticknock near Sandyford.
The Grange Retirement Village, on 16 acres of land zoned for agricultural development on the mountain side of the M50, would include residential accommodation, a nursing home, a stroke rehabilitation clinic and community and recreational facilities.
When the development, proposed by the landowner Rod McGovern, was initially discussed at council, on November 19th, 2009, it was rejected outright by councillors following a recommendation by county manager Owen Keegan.
However, a week later, on November 23rd, councillor Tom Joyce (FG) and councillor Tom Murphy (FF) proposed a specific local objective for the site to allow for the development and councillors from both parties voted for it.
The objective was ratified as part of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan 2010-2016 in March 2010.
It was believed planning permission for the retirement village could then be applied for.
However, planning consultants on behalf of the developer discovered a “technical hitch” in the zoning which meant that the objective alone was not enough to allow the development to be considered by the council’s planning department.
A variation to the development plan would be needed.
Councillor Neale Richmond (FG) and councillor Gearoid O’Keeffe (Ind) attempted to suspend standing orders at January’s council meeting to remedy the hitch. However, because they needed a two-thirds majority to suspend the meeting, their motion was rejected.
It is understood a variation to the county development plan will be proposed at the council meeting next week.
It will add a footnote to the definition of what development is allowed on land zoned agricultural so that the retirement village can be built at Ticknock.
It will be specific to the 16-acre site.
Cathaoirleach and councillor Lettie McCarthy (Lab) said the development was not suitable in “such an isolated area” and that there was enough zoned land elsewhere to support it.
“This is a prominent elevated site immediately adjoining a high amenity area,” she said.
The development would be visible from a wide area and would cause “serious injury to the rural character and visual amenity” of the area, she said.
But Mr O’Keeffe said the development would provide badly needed healthcare facilities for elderly people in the county, hundreds of building jobs at construction stage and long-term jobs when the facility was opened.
The variation will be debated at next week’s council meeting.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Councillors in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are to consider a motion to amend the council’s county development plan specifically to allow for a nursing home on lands in a scenic location at Ticknock near Sandyford.
The Grange Retirement Village, on 16 acres of land zoned for agricultural development on the mountain side of the M50, would include residential accommodation, a nursing home, a stroke rehabilitation clinic and community and recreational facilities.
When the development, proposed by the landowner Rod McGovern, was initially discussed at council, on November 19th, 2009, it was rejected outright by councillors following a recommendation by county manager Owen Keegan.
However, a week later, on November 23rd, councillor Tom Joyce (FG) and councillor Tom Murphy (FF) proposed a specific local objective for the site to allow for the development and councillors from both parties voted for it.
The objective was ratified as part of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan 2010-2016 in March 2010.
It was believed planning permission for the retirement village could then be applied for.
However, planning consultants on behalf of the developer discovered a “technical hitch” in the zoning which meant that the objective alone was not enough to allow the development to be considered by the council’s planning department.
A variation to the development plan would be needed.
Councillor Neale Richmond (FG) and councillor Gearoid O’Keeffe (Ind) attempted to suspend standing orders at January’s council meeting to remedy the hitch. However, because they needed a two-thirds majority to suspend the meeting, their motion was rejected.
It is understood a variation to the county development plan will be proposed at the council meeting next week.
It will add a footnote to the definition of what development is allowed on land zoned agricultural so that the retirement village can be built at Ticknock.
It will be specific to the 16-acre site.
Cathaoirleach and councillor Lettie McCarthy (Lab) said the development was not suitable in “such an isolated area” and that there was enough zoned land elsewhere to support it.
“This is a prominent elevated site immediately adjoining a high amenity area,” she said.
The development would be visible from a wide area and would cause “serious injury to the rural character and visual amenity” of the area, she said.
But Mr O’Keeffe said the development would provide badly needed healthcare facilities for elderly people in the county, hundreds of building jobs at construction stage and long-term jobs when the facility was opened.
The variation will be debated at next week’s council meeting.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Filan gets go ahead for €3m project
THE CONSTRUCTION company co-owned by Westlife singer Shane Filan has been given the go ahead for a €3 million development in Dromahair village, Co Leitrim.
Leitrim County Council had refused permission for the three-storey building incorporating supermarket, gym and creche on the main street but An Bord Pleanála has overturned that decision. Earlier this year Sligo-based Shafin Developments, which is owned by Filan and his brother Finbarr, got permission for a 50-bed nursing home in Dromahair.
The company also got the go ahead for an 80-bed nursing home and a “neighbourhood centre” comprising shops, apartments, creche and a medical centre in Sligo.
Fine Gael councillor John McTernan expressed disappointment with the planning board’s decision, saying the development, which was the subject of more than 60 objections, was not needed in Dromahair and would damage the viability of two other supermarkets in the village.
The company has been given the go ahead to demolish a hotel and restaurant and proceed with the development, but the permission is subject to 18 conditions.
Cllr McTernan said given the impact of cross-Border shopping in the area, it would be very hard for the two existing family-owned supermarkets to survive if this project proceeds. The board found that given the central location of the site in Dromahair, the established use of the site for commercial use and the pattern of development in the vicinity, that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or the vitality or viability of property in the vicinity, and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety.
This is the second time the board approved this project. An earlier decision was stalled after it emerged that one objection had been mislaid during the process.Shafin had argued that the proposal complied with the Retail Planning Guidelines, the County Retail Strategy, the County Development Plan and the Dromahair Village Framework Plan and that the proposed retail floor area of 370sq m was modest in scale in the context of guidelines.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Leitrim County Council had refused permission for the three-storey building incorporating supermarket, gym and creche on the main street but An Bord Pleanála has overturned that decision. Earlier this year Sligo-based Shafin Developments, which is owned by Filan and his brother Finbarr, got permission for a 50-bed nursing home in Dromahair.
The company also got the go ahead for an 80-bed nursing home and a “neighbourhood centre” comprising shops, apartments, creche and a medical centre in Sligo.
Fine Gael councillor John McTernan expressed disappointment with the planning board’s decision, saying the development, which was the subject of more than 60 objections, was not needed in Dromahair and would damage the viability of two other supermarkets in the village.
The company has been given the go ahead to demolish a hotel and restaurant and proceed with the development, but the permission is subject to 18 conditions.
Cllr McTernan said given the impact of cross-Border shopping in the area, it would be very hard for the two existing family-owned supermarkets to survive if this project proceeds. The board found that given the central location of the site in Dromahair, the established use of the site for commercial use and the pattern of development in the vicinity, that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or the vitality or viability of property in the vicinity, and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety.
This is the second time the board approved this project. An earlier decision was stalled after it emerged that one objection had been mislaid during the process.Shafin had argued that the proposal complied with the Retail Planning Guidelines, the County Retail Strategy, the County Development Plan and the Dromahair Village Framework Plan and that the proposed retail floor area of 370sq m was modest in scale in the context of guidelines.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Chapel at Dublin hospital to be demolished
A NINETEENTH-century chapel is due to be demolished following a decision by An Bord Pleanála to allow construction on the St James’s Hospital campus in Dublin.
The chapel, built in the 1890s, will be demolished to allow for the development of an eight-storey, 196-bed private hospital, on a 1.148 hectare site, located on the existing campus.
The chapel is thought to be connected with the South Dublin Union workhouses on the southside of Dublin’s inner city, which was one of the main sites of the 1916 Easter Rising.
In January, Synchrony Properties was granted permission by Dublin City Council to develop the facility, which will employ 400 people during its construction and have about 545 full-time staff when completed.
Local residents and a number of local politicians opposed the council’s decision to approve the plans and made an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, which upheld the original decision in favour of development.
In its ruling, the board stated that the development of a “high quality hospital” justified the proposed demolition of the chapel because it was not listed under the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). However, the ruling stipulates that the developers must pay an insurance bond of €1 million to ensure the demolition process coincides with the commencement of work on the new development.
Labour TD Mary Upton was one of the appellants along with her party colleague councillor John Gallagher. Ms Upton said she was “absolutely horrified” that the council halted their decision to list the chapel as a protected structure.
Mr Gallagher said the council’s south-central area committee had agreed in May 2008 to begin the process for listing the chapel RPS. The proposal to list the chapel as a protected structure was “unanimously agreed upon” and should then have gone before a full city council meeting, where it would “almost certainly have been passed”, added Mr Gallagher.
Council officials have a role in the preparation of reports which recommend whether a building is included on the record, but the addition or deletion of a structure on the RPS is a reserved function of city councillors.
Dublin City Council documents show senior officials halted the proposal to make the chapel a protected structure, after they were made aware of the significance of its location and its obstruction to development on the campus.
The council reversed its decision to add the chapel to the RPS less than one month after the chief executive of St James’s Hospital protested against the proposal.
In March 2008, a conservation officer working for the council said the chapel held significant historical, architectural and social value, which merited its inclusion on the record. However, in August of that year, the same conservation officer reversed the decision “in light of the arguments put forward” by the hospital official, which disputed the chapel’s historical significance.
In a letter, the chief executive officer of the hospital said the protection of the chapel would obstruct development on the site, which would prevent the implementation of Government and HSE strategy to deliver healthcare facilities.
A statement from the city council said the process of listing the chapel as a protected site was halted because it was made aware of a proposed development on the hospital campus.
The new development is planned as one of a number of co-located private hospitals intended to be built in the grounds of existing public hospitals under a Government plan announced in 2005. None of the five hospitals has yet been built.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The chapel, built in the 1890s, will be demolished to allow for the development of an eight-storey, 196-bed private hospital, on a 1.148 hectare site, located on the existing campus.
The chapel is thought to be connected with the South Dublin Union workhouses on the southside of Dublin’s inner city, which was one of the main sites of the 1916 Easter Rising.
In January, Synchrony Properties was granted permission by Dublin City Council to develop the facility, which will employ 400 people during its construction and have about 545 full-time staff when completed.
Local residents and a number of local politicians opposed the council’s decision to approve the plans and made an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, which upheld the original decision in favour of development.
In its ruling, the board stated that the development of a “high quality hospital” justified the proposed demolition of the chapel because it was not listed under the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). However, the ruling stipulates that the developers must pay an insurance bond of €1 million to ensure the demolition process coincides with the commencement of work on the new development.
Labour TD Mary Upton was one of the appellants along with her party colleague councillor John Gallagher. Ms Upton said she was “absolutely horrified” that the council halted their decision to list the chapel as a protected structure.
Mr Gallagher said the council’s south-central area committee had agreed in May 2008 to begin the process for listing the chapel RPS. The proposal to list the chapel as a protected structure was “unanimously agreed upon” and should then have gone before a full city council meeting, where it would “almost certainly have been passed”, added Mr Gallagher.
Council officials have a role in the preparation of reports which recommend whether a building is included on the record, but the addition or deletion of a structure on the RPS is a reserved function of city councillors.
Dublin City Council documents show senior officials halted the proposal to make the chapel a protected structure, after they were made aware of the significance of its location and its obstruction to development on the campus.
The council reversed its decision to add the chapel to the RPS less than one month after the chief executive of St James’s Hospital protested against the proposal.
In March 2008, a conservation officer working for the council said the chapel held significant historical, architectural and social value, which merited its inclusion on the record. However, in August of that year, the same conservation officer reversed the decision “in light of the arguments put forward” by the hospital official, which disputed the chapel’s historical significance.
In a letter, the chief executive officer of the hospital said the protection of the chapel would obstruct development on the site, which would prevent the implementation of Government and HSE strategy to deliver healthcare facilities.
A statement from the city council said the process of listing the chapel as a protected site was halted because it was made aware of a proposed development on the hospital campus.
The new development is planned as one of a number of co-located private hospitals intended to be built in the grounds of existing public hospitals under a Government plan announced in 2005. None of the five hospitals has yet been built.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Treasury to build social scheme
ONE of the first developers to have property loans taken over by NAMA is to build social housing for Dublin City Council, writes Paul Melia.
Treasury Holdings yesterday announced it would begin construction of 112 apartments at Spencer Dock in the Docklands, most of which will be used to house older people.
And it said that 300 jobs would be created during construction of the homes. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has to finalise planning permission which is expected to happen in the coming weeks.
A spokesman for the company said the deal with Dublin City Council would help make the Docklands a "sustainable" city quarter.
"These social housing units will help realise the vision for Spencer Dock as a socially mixed living, working, retail and leisure space in the heart of the city," the spokesman said.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Treasury Holdings yesterday announced it would begin construction of 112 apartments at Spencer Dock in the Docklands, most of which will be used to house older people.
And it said that 300 jobs would be created during construction of the homes. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has to finalise planning permission which is expected to happen in the coming weeks.
A spokesman for the company said the deal with Dublin City Council would help make the Docklands a "sustainable" city quarter.
"These social housing units will help realise the vision for Spencer Dock as a socially mixed living, working, retail and leisure space in the heart of the city," the spokesman said.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Gormley signals intention to inquire into planning decisions nationwide
Environment Minister John Gormley has announced that he intends to launch investigations into a number of planning decisions around the country following complaints received by his department.
Opening the Green Party convention in Waterford last week, Mr Gormley said he would begin inquiries under the terms of the Planning Act, following complaints about breaches of the legislation.
Some of the complaints are believed to relate to the way in which some local authorities have contravened their own developments plans, while others relate to the failure of local authorities to dismantle illegal developments.
Mr Gormley told the convention that attempts were now being made to mask questionable rezoning decisions with claims that jobs are at stake. He cited an attempted rezoning decision in south county Dublin as an example of what was happening.
“This type of developer-led planning - the type that got us into this current mess - does not create jobs. It costs - it costs the environment, it costs taxpayers money and it costs jobs,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that last month there was an attempt by some councillors to assist a developer in rezoning a swathe of land for a supermarket beside a motorway in south county Dublin.
“In this, the south Dublin case, years of planning to create a new town centre in south Dublin - and €350 million of public and private investment into a new Luas line - would have been undermined because one developer had other ideas and land elsewhere. It is no surprise, therefore, that our planning Bill ... has been opposed tooth and nail by some Opposition politicians.”
Mr Gormley said that the county councils were the foundations of our political system and he had the utmost respect for most local councillors.
“That said, despite all that we have been through ... some councillors are still engaging in crony capitalism. With business as usual in our council chambers, the noble words on reform and accountability by some political party leaders ring hollow,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that people should remember that too often in the past, planning principles were put aside in the name of commercial and financial expediency and claims about creating and sustaining employment.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Opening the Green Party convention in Waterford last week, Mr Gormley said he would begin inquiries under the terms of the Planning Act, following complaints about breaches of the legislation.
Some of the complaints are believed to relate to the way in which some local authorities have contravened their own developments plans, while others relate to the failure of local authorities to dismantle illegal developments.
Mr Gormley told the convention that attempts were now being made to mask questionable rezoning decisions with claims that jobs are at stake. He cited an attempted rezoning decision in south county Dublin as an example of what was happening.
“This type of developer-led planning - the type that got us into this current mess - does not create jobs. It costs - it costs the environment, it costs taxpayers money and it costs jobs,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that last month there was an attempt by some councillors to assist a developer in rezoning a swathe of land for a supermarket beside a motorway in south county Dublin.
“In this, the south Dublin case, years of planning to create a new town centre in south Dublin - and €350 million of public and private investment into a new Luas line - would have been undermined because one developer had other ideas and land elsewhere. It is no surprise, therefore, that our planning Bill ... has been opposed tooth and nail by some Opposition politicians.”
Mr Gormley said that the county councils were the foundations of our political system and he had the utmost respect for most local councillors.
“That said, despite all that we have been through ... some councillors are still engaging in crony capitalism. With business as usual in our council chambers, the noble words on reform and accountability by some political party leaders ring hollow,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that people should remember that too often in the past, planning principles were put aside in the name of commercial and financial expediency and claims about creating and sustaining employment.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley signals intention to inquire into planning decisions nationwide
Environment Minister John Gormley has announced that he intends to launch investigations into a number of planning decisions around the country following complaints received by his department.
Opening the Green Party convention in Waterford last week, Mr Gormley said he would begin inquiries under the terms of the Planning Act, following complaints about breaches of the legislation.
Some of the complaints are believed to relate to the way in which some local authorities have contravened their own developments plans, while others relate to the failure of local authorities to dismantle illegal developments.
Mr Gormley told the convention that attempts were now being made to mask questionable rezoning decisions with claims that jobs are at stake. He cited an attempted rezoning decision in south county Dublin as an example of what was happening.
“This type of developer-led planning - the type that got us into this current mess - does not create jobs. It costs - it costs the environment, it costs taxpayers money and it costs jobs,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that last month there was an attempt by some councillors to assist a developer in rezoning a swathe of land for a supermarket beside a motorway in south county Dublin.
“In this, the south Dublin case, years of planning to create a new town centre in south Dublin - and €350 million of public and private investment into a new Luas line - would have been undermined because one developer had other ideas and land elsewhere. It is no surprise, therefore, that our planning Bill ... has been opposed tooth and nail by some Opposition politicians.”
Mr Gormley said that the county councils were the foundations of our political system and he had the utmost respect for most local councillors.
“That said, despite all that we have been through ... some councillors are still engaging in crony capitalism. With business as usual in our council chambers, the noble words on reform and accountability by some political party leaders ring hollow,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that people should remember that too often in the past, planning principles were put aside in the name of commercial and financial expediency and claims about creating and sustaining employment.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Opening the Green Party convention in Waterford last week, Mr Gormley said he would begin inquiries under the terms of the Planning Act, following complaints about breaches of the legislation.
Some of the complaints are believed to relate to the way in which some local authorities have contravened their own developments plans, while others relate to the failure of local authorities to dismantle illegal developments.
Mr Gormley told the convention that attempts were now being made to mask questionable rezoning decisions with claims that jobs are at stake. He cited an attempted rezoning decision in south county Dublin as an example of what was happening.
“This type of developer-led planning - the type that got us into this current mess - does not create jobs. It costs - it costs the environment, it costs taxpayers money and it costs jobs,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that last month there was an attempt by some councillors to assist a developer in rezoning a swathe of land for a supermarket beside a motorway in south county Dublin.
“In this, the south Dublin case, years of planning to create a new town centre in south Dublin - and €350 million of public and private investment into a new Luas line - would have been undermined because one developer had other ideas and land elsewhere. It is no surprise, therefore, that our planning Bill ... has been opposed tooth and nail by some Opposition politicians.”
Mr Gormley said that the county councils were the foundations of our political system and he had the utmost respect for most local councillors.
“That said, despite all that we have been through ... some councillors are still engaging in crony capitalism. With business as usual in our council chambers, the noble words on reform and accountability by some political party leaders ring hollow,” he said.
Mr Gormley added that people should remember that too often in the past, planning principles were put aside in the name of commercial and financial expediency and claims about creating and sustaining employment.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Planning battle lost at exclusive estate
HISTORY DOESN’T relate if Ronan Keating took any time off from his world “Ronan” tour to help with Abington Residents Association’s planning battle to stop an apartment block at the entrance to the exclusive estate being raised in height by a storey.
If he did, it will have all been in vain. The residents lost the fight and An Bord Pleanála has approved a fourth storey for the apartment block at Abington Wood which will give it two 148sq m (1,593sq ft) penthouse apartments with large terraces.
Fiona Fair, the planning inspector, recommended that the board approve the development. The report mentioned that the butterfly roof would only increase the overall height by 3 metres.
Residents, however, felt that it would overlook private residential amenity space and said that some customers of the crèche on the ground floor of the apartment block use the roundabout in Abington to turn their cars which they said is “unacceptable” because Abington is a private estate.
They also complained that a four-storey height is unprecedented in the area. Other well known residents of Abington include Westlife’s Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina Ahern .
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
If he did, it will have all been in vain. The residents lost the fight and An Bord Pleanála has approved a fourth storey for the apartment block at Abington Wood which will give it two 148sq m (1,593sq ft) penthouse apartments with large terraces.
Fiona Fair, the planning inspector, recommended that the board approve the development. The report mentioned that the butterfly roof would only increase the overall height by 3 metres.
Residents, however, felt that it would overlook private residential amenity space and said that some customers of the crèche on the ground floor of the apartment block use the roundabout in Abington to turn their cars which they said is “unacceptable” because Abington is a private estate.
They also complained that a four-storey height is unprecedented in the area. Other well known residents of Abington include Westlife’s Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina Ahern .
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Blitz ghost estates, advises US expert
A LEADING US academic has recommended the "selective demolition" of ghost estates and Nama properties that have no value as commercial or residential developments.
The remnants of Ireland's burst property and construction bubble should be demolished in the same way that large parts of the US city of Detroit are being torn down, according to Dr James W Hughes.
Hughes, the internationally renowned Dean of the Edward J Bloustein School of Planning at the Rutgers University in New Jersey, has written extensively about demolition in Detroit and believes the wrecking ball needs to be introduced to deal with one of the biggest problems in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland.
Once one of the most heavily industrialised cities in America, Detroit was the home of the booming US motor industry for much of the last century, but the decline of that industry has left 20% of the buildings in the city empty and dilapidated.
Under a radical renewal plan, large swathes of derelict buildings that blight the city are being demolished with the land due to be returned to agricultural use.
"Things that were unthinkable are now becoming thinkable," said Hughes recently. "There is now a realisation that past glories are never going to be recaptured. Some people probably don't accept that, but that is the reality."
Although he pointed out the significant differences between the Detroit and Irish examples, he does recommend demolition in Ireland.
"Some buildings may have been built under economic conditions where there appeared to be abundant, seemingly risk-free, cheap global credit that may never return," he told the Sunday Tribune this weekend.
"So some residential estates may never have buyers for the foreseeable future given the overhang of excess inventories. Selective demolition may well be in order if there is no potential of reuse."
He claimed that some empty buildings in parts of Ireland "may still have some economic value in future. The Empire State Building in New York was completed in 1931. It took until 1955 to be fully occupied with private tenants."
Pointing out the differences between the Detroit and Irish examples, Hughes said that Detroit had excessive properties before the current foreclosure crisis in the US.
The downfall started in the late 1960s with race riots and the subsequent 'white flights' to the suburbs. The decline of the auto industry also eroded the city's economic base. This left a massive "depopulated and de-industrialised" city with an array of abandoned, badly aging residential and commercial property that has long lost any economic value.
"Since the city will never return to its past heights, it makes sense to clear large swathes of land and concentrate people in areas that could function as sustainable communities," he added. "Public services could shrink to this new footprint, saving costs, and the vacant land could be used as parks, urban wilderness, or urban agriculture."
Hughes' assessment of the Irish problem comes as it emerged in recent days that the toxic loans agency Nama is prepared to demolish half-completed buildings which it believes have no value as commercial or residential developments.
Nama faces the tough task of dealing with €21bn of work-in-progress assets and deciding what the long-term future of each asset is. Demolition of some sites and returning them to agricultural use is already being actively considered by Nama.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
The remnants of Ireland's burst property and construction bubble should be demolished in the same way that large parts of the US city of Detroit are being torn down, according to Dr James W Hughes.
Hughes, the internationally renowned Dean of the Edward J Bloustein School of Planning at the Rutgers University in New Jersey, has written extensively about demolition in Detroit and believes the wrecking ball needs to be introduced to deal with one of the biggest problems in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland.
Once one of the most heavily industrialised cities in America, Detroit was the home of the booming US motor industry for much of the last century, but the decline of that industry has left 20% of the buildings in the city empty and dilapidated.
Under a radical renewal plan, large swathes of derelict buildings that blight the city are being demolished with the land due to be returned to agricultural use.
"Things that were unthinkable are now becoming thinkable," said Hughes recently. "There is now a realisation that past glories are never going to be recaptured. Some people probably don't accept that, but that is the reality."
Although he pointed out the significant differences between the Detroit and Irish examples, he does recommend demolition in Ireland.
"Some buildings may have been built under economic conditions where there appeared to be abundant, seemingly risk-free, cheap global credit that may never return," he told the Sunday Tribune this weekend.
"So some residential estates may never have buyers for the foreseeable future given the overhang of excess inventories. Selective demolition may well be in order if there is no potential of reuse."
He claimed that some empty buildings in parts of Ireland "may still have some economic value in future. The Empire State Building in New York was completed in 1931. It took until 1955 to be fully occupied with private tenants."
Pointing out the differences between the Detroit and Irish examples, Hughes said that Detroit had excessive properties before the current foreclosure crisis in the US.
The downfall started in the late 1960s with race riots and the subsequent 'white flights' to the suburbs. The decline of the auto industry also eroded the city's economic base. This left a massive "depopulated and de-industrialised" city with an array of abandoned, badly aging residential and commercial property that has long lost any economic value.
"Since the city will never return to its past heights, it makes sense to clear large swathes of land and concentrate people in areas that could function as sustainable communities," he added. "Public services could shrink to this new footprint, saving costs, and the vacant land could be used as parks, urban wilderness, or urban agriculture."
Hughes' assessment of the Irish problem comes as it emerged in recent days that the toxic loans agency Nama is prepared to demolish half-completed buildings which it believes have no value as commercial or residential developments.
Nama faces the tough task of dealing with €21bn of work-in-progress assets and deciding what the long-term future of each asset is. Demolition of some sites and returning them to agricultural use is already being actively considered by Nama.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Gormley gets Spawell green light
Developer Frank Gormley has been given the go-ahead to redevelop the Spawell Golf and Leisure Centre in Templeogue, Dublin 6W.
Gormley's Wellington General Partner (WGP) has been given the thumbs up to plans to demolish the existing structures on the site and develop a new leisure centre, a 149-bedroom hotel, a driving range and two shops on the site.
WGP will have to pay more than €2.6m towards public infrastructure and facilities before development begins.
Accounts for WGP for the year ended 30 April 2008 show that the company incurred a loss of more than €12.1m after charging a provision for impairment of the property. After the year-end, noted auditors Dillon Kelly Cregan, the company received a formal demand from AIB for the repayment of the amounts it had advanced to the company. "The directors remain hopeful that the loan facilities can be renegotiated on the terms acceptable to the company. The directors have been engaged in ongoing discussions with the bank in this regard," an emphasis of matter note to the auditors' report states. There was also a deferred consideration of €13.6m arising from the acquisition of the company's property which was due on October 2009.
"It is the intention of the directors to seek payment terms from the creditors concerned for the discharge of this liability," the report states.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley's Wellington General Partner (WGP) has been given the thumbs up to plans to demolish the existing structures on the site and develop a new leisure centre, a 149-bedroom hotel, a driving range and two shops on the site.
WGP will have to pay more than €2.6m towards public infrastructure and facilities before development begins.
Accounts for WGP for the year ended 30 April 2008 show that the company incurred a loss of more than €12.1m after charging a provision for impairment of the property. After the year-end, noted auditors Dillon Kelly Cregan, the company received a formal demand from AIB for the repayment of the amounts it had advanced to the company. "The directors remain hopeful that the loan facilities can be renegotiated on the terms acceptable to the company. The directors have been engaged in ongoing discussions with the bank in this regard," an emphasis of matter note to the auditors' report states. There was also a deferred consideration of €13.6m arising from the acquisition of the company's property which was due on October 2009.
"It is the intention of the directors to seek payment terms from the creditors concerned for the discharge of this liability," the report states.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Irish Times blames planners ...
It's time to quiz planners for their part in the crash, says ISABEL MORTON
AS THE next few rounds of the blame game get going, including the banking enquiry, one wonders when our 88 different planning authorities and more importantly, our planning appeals board (An Bord Pleanála), will get much more than a sharp slap on the wrist for their part in the property fiasco which resulted in some 300,000 homes lying empty.
No doubt individual planning authorities, much like the banks and the developers, were only interested in what was going on in their own back yard, but one would have to wonder how and why An Bord Pleanála upheld permission for so much of what was built during the Tiger days.
An Bord Pleanála’s mission statement is “to play our part as an independent body in ensuring that physical development and major infrastructure projects in Ireland respect the principles of sustainable development and are planned in an efficient, fair and open manner”.
Surely, as an independent body, An Bord Pleanála was responsible for ensuring that local planning authorities didn’t lose the run of themselves? Why did they permit so much to be built, in so many obviously unsuitable locations, over such a long period of time?
Indeed, much like the Financial Regulator, Bord Pleanála could have gone a long way towards stopping the property train from going off the rails. But it didn’t and, so far, has managed to escape the nation’s wrath.
As we recently discovered, it was not just a simple case of getting the numbers wrong and allowing too many units to be built; it permitted many developments to be built in areas which were at risk of flooding and had poor infrastructure and inadequate services and facilities.
Furthermore, there appears to have been no control or any overall planning strategy, which might have prevented many minuscule one and two-bedroom apartments, none suitable for families with children and many of inferior design and construction, being built.
Ironically, last October 2009, at the launch of Bord Pleanála’s 2008 annual report, its chairman, John O’Connor, said he was “concerned that developers may be tempted, in the present market, to return to lower density development. However, national policies on building more sustainable communities for the future do not favour a return to old-style density development due to the greater than ever need for the most efficient use of expensive infrastructure, for increased environmental sustainability and for less urban sprawl.”
Of course developers will be “tempted” by lower density developments of houses rather than apartments, as there would hardly be much point in building more apartments to add to the unsold glut.
However, Minister for the Environment John Gormley recently recommended an amendment to the Planning and Development Bill 2009, which he brought before the Dáil last December. He said: “I have also taken a strong stance with certain local authorities by issuing directions requiring them to amend their development plans where they have included excessive or inappropriate zonings,” suggesting that planning authorities should consider using existing “down-zoning” provisions.
“It is no coincidence that our commuter towns are now suffering the most from the economic downturn. These are the towns where house upon house was built, and field upon field rezoned, with little thought given to flood risk assessment, or where nothing was provided by way of community facilities or amenities. This is not my idea of sustainable communities. Scatterings of estates, poorly linked by transport, under constant threat of flooding, distant from schools and dependent on transport by car, must become a feature of our past, not our present or future.” He explained how the Bill included the introduction of “flood risk assessments” as part of proposed future planning applications and recommended that all land zonings would have to be the subject of public consultation.
An amendment to the Bill is undoubtedly necessary; however, you can’t but wonder at the point of closing and locking the stable door at this stage. Gormley’s most interesting comment, however, came following his acknowledgement of planning departments’ increased workload and his respect for locally elected councillors, when he said: “I do not want their work contaminated by that small number of people who use the planning system for their own gain.”
His statement was a clear acknowledgement that all has not been well within planning departments. No doubt, they will be the next on the long list of organisations, which will be made subject to lengthy public (yet behind closed doors) enquiries. Like a large onion, there is always another layer to be peeled. And with each layer, come more tears.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
AS THE next few rounds of the blame game get going, including the banking enquiry, one wonders when our 88 different planning authorities and more importantly, our planning appeals board (An Bord Pleanála), will get much more than a sharp slap on the wrist for their part in the property fiasco which resulted in some 300,000 homes lying empty.
No doubt individual planning authorities, much like the banks and the developers, were only interested in what was going on in their own back yard, but one would have to wonder how and why An Bord Pleanála upheld permission for so much of what was built during the Tiger days.
An Bord Pleanála’s mission statement is “to play our part as an independent body in ensuring that physical development and major infrastructure projects in Ireland respect the principles of sustainable development and are planned in an efficient, fair and open manner”.
Surely, as an independent body, An Bord Pleanála was responsible for ensuring that local planning authorities didn’t lose the run of themselves? Why did they permit so much to be built, in so many obviously unsuitable locations, over such a long period of time?
Indeed, much like the Financial Regulator, Bord Pleanála could have gone a long way towards stopping the property train from going off the rails. But it didn’t and, so far, has managed to escape the nation’s wrath.
As we recently discovered, it was not just a simple case of getting the numbers wrong and allowing too many units to be built; it permitted many developments to be built in areas which were at risk of flooding and had poor infrastructure and inadequate services and facilities.
Furthermore, there appears to have been no control or any overall planning strategy, which might have prevented many minuscule one and two-bedroom apartments, none suitable for families with children and many of inferior design and construction, being built.
Ironically, last October 2009, at the launch of Bord Pleanála’s 2008 annual report, its chairman, John O’Connor, said he was “concerned that developers may be tempted, in the present market, to return to lower density development. However, national policies on building more sustainable communities for the future do not favour a return to old-style density development due to the greater than ever need for the most efficient use of expensive infrastructure, for increased environmental sustainability and for less urban sprawl.”
Of course developers will be “tempted” by lower density developments of houses rather than apartments, as there would hardly be much point in building more apartments to add to the unsold glut.
However, Minister for the Environment John Gormley recently recommended an amendment to the Planning and Development Bill 2009, which he brought before the Dáil last December. He said: “I have also taken a strong stance with certain local authorities by issuing directions requiring them to amend their development plans where they have included excessive or inappropriate zonings,” suggesting that planning authorities should consider using existing “down-zoning” provisions.
“It is no coincidence that our commuter towns are now suffering the most from the economic downturn. These are the towns where house upon house was built, and field upon field rezoned, with little thought given to flood risk assessment, or where nothing was provided by way of community facilities or amenities. This is not my idea of sustainable communities. Scatterings of estates, poorly linked by transport, under constant threat of flooding, distant from schools and dependent on transport by car, must become a feature of our past, not our present or future.” He explained how the Bill included the introduction of “flood risk assessments” as part of proposed future planning applications and recommended that all land zonings would have to be the subject of public consultation.
An amendment to the Bill is undoubtedly necessary; however, you can’t but wonder at the point of closing and locking the stable door at this stage. Gormley’s most interesting comment, however, came following his acknowledgement of planning departments’ increased workload and his respect for locally elected councillors, when he said: “I do not want their work contaminated by that small number of people who use the planning system for their own gain.”
His statement was a clear acknowledgement that all has not been well within planning departments. No doubt, they will be the next on the long list of organisations, which will be made subject to lengthy public (yet behind closed doors) enquiries. Like a large onion, there is always another layer to be peeled. And with each layer, come more tears.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Council defends Castletown plan
Kildare County Council has defended its decision to grant planning permission for a housing estate on protected lands opposite Castletown House in Celbridge.
Senior executive planner Aoife Brangan told a Bord Pleanála hearing that the council stood over its decision to approve the construction of 84 houses.
The developers, Devondale Ltd, are asking An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for 101 houses on the site, which is on the opposite side of the river to the early 18th-century stately home. Several appellants said the proposal conflicts with the county development plan.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Senior executive planner Aoife Brangan told a Bord Pleanála hearing that the council stood over its decision to approve the construction of 84 houses.
The developers, Devondale Ltd, are asking An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for 101 houses on the site, which is on the opposite side of the river to the early 18th-century stately home. Several appellants said the proposal conflicts with the county development plan.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Development 'will not affect' Castletown views
THE DEVELOPERS behind an estate of 101 houses opposite Castletown House, Co Kildare, said the scheme will not affect views from the stately home or compromise the protected lands on which the houses will be built.
Devondale Ltd is seeking permission to build the estate of mainly four- and five-bed detached houses on a 27-acre site at Donaghcumper Demesne, on the River Liffey just outside Celbridge town.
Donaghcumper House and Demesne were added to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) by Kildare County Council last March. However, the land has been zoned for housing since 2002, three years before it was purchased by Devondale.
The council last May granted permission for the construction of 84 houses on the site. Devondale is asking An Bord Pleanála to approve the full 101 houses. Nine parties have appealed to Bord Pleanála to refuse the development, mainly on the grounds of its proximity to Castletown House. Also at issue is the estate’s location on the Donaghcumper lands and its effect on plans for a regional park.
Architect Pat O’Hara told the Bord Pleanála hearing the scheme was low density, used natural materials and extensive planting and would have no negative effect on the views from Castletown.
“The proposed development is circa 580m from Castletown House . . . existing and proposed screen planting and the layering of proposed housing layout . . . will ensure that the proposal will not impact on Castletown.”
The 17 houses nearest the river that the council refused should be reinstated, Mr O’Hara said. Even in winter when cover was sparse, there would be only “glimpses” of the houses from Castletown.
Town planner Richard Hamilton said Devondale prepared its proposals for the site with the expectation that Donaghcumper would be added to the RPS. “It is important to highlight that the protected structure does not place a blanket ban on lands within the demesne,” he said.
It was argued that, rather than obstructing a Liffey Valley park, the development was facilitating it as Devondale had transferred ownership of 30 acres of land to the council. The hearing will continue on November 25th.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Devondale Ltd is seeking permission to build the estate of mainly four- and five-bed detached houses on a 27-acre site at Donaghcumper Demesne, on the River Liffey just outside Celbridge town.
Donaghcumper House and Demesne were added to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) by Kildare County Council last March. However, the land has been zoned for housing since 2002, three years before it was purchased by Devondale.
The council last May granted permission for the construction of 84 houses on the site. Devondale is asking An Bord Pleanála to approve the full 101 houses. Nine parties have appealed to Bord Pleanála to refuse the development, mainly on the grounds of its proximity to Castletown House. Also at issue is the estate’s location on the Donaghcumper lands and its effect on plans for a regional park.
Architect Pat O’Hara told the Bord Pleanála hearing the scheme was low density, used natural materials and extensive planting and would have no negative effect on the views from Castletown.
“The proposed development is circa 580m from Castletown House . . . existing and proposed screen planting and the layering of proposed housing layout . . . will ensure that the proposal will not impact on Castletown.”
The 17 houses nearest the river that the council refused should be reinstated, Mr O’Hara said. Even in winter when cover was sparse, there would be only “glimpses” of the houses from Castletown.
Town planner Richard Hamilton said Devondale prepared its proposals for the site with the expectation that Donaghcumper would be added to the RPS. “It is important to highlight that the protected structure does not place a blanket ban on lands within the demesne,” he said.
It was argued that, rather than obstructing a Liffey Valley park, the development was facilitating it as Devondale had transferred ownership of 30 acres of land to the council. The hearing will continue on November 25th.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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