Contentious apartment scheme on Terenure College lands approved despite council refusal

Gordon Deegan

An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) has granted planning to contentious plans for a 284 residential-unit scheme for lands at Terenure College.

In granting planning permission to Lioncor subsidiary, 1 Cellbridge West Land Ltd, for the Large Scale Residential Development (LRD), the planning commission has overturned a refusal by Dublin City Council issued earlier this year.

The scheme for Fortfield Rd, Terenure, D6 comprises 265 apartments and 19 four-bedroom houses, with the apartments located across four blocks, with one block rising to six storeys.

In the one reason for refusal linked to transport issues, the council found that the proposed car parking provision is considered inadequate to serve the needs of future residents of the development.

1 Cellbridge West Land Ltd appealed, and the planning commission inspector in the case recommended a refusal on two other grounds, including flood risk.

In granting planning permission, ACP has dismissed the inspector's recommendation to refuse and has concluded that the scheme “would constitute an acceptable scale and density of development at this location and would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity”,

The planning commission also concluded that the scheme “would be acceptable in terms of urban design, height, and quantum of development, as well as in terms of traffic and pedestrian safety and convenience, and would not have any significant adverse effects on biodiversity or water quality”.

The 11.5-acre proposed development site is located at the northwest corner of the grounds of Terenure College Senior School, and the main part of the site is an open field that was formerly used as playing pitches associated with the now-closed junior school.

The current scheme is ‘build to sell’ compared to the ‘build to rent’ 364 unit scheme and 21 houses that were refused planning permission two years ago by An Bord Pleanala.

The Council received 86 third-party submissions, with the bulk of submissions from local residents opposed to the scheme.

However, in a letter lodged with the application, Provincial of the Irish Province of Carmelites, Fr Simon Nolan stated that "the college Board of Management and the Carmelite Order recognises the enormous benefit that this proposed development has for the school and the Order".

Fr Nolan stated: “It will allow for a capital injection into Terenure College and secure the College's future viability as a secondary school as well as benefit the ongoing work and ministry of the Carmelite Order in Ireland, Zimbabwe, and other parts of the world.”

Fr Nolan added: “Development of the site to the north-west of the Terenure College lands will ultimately enhance and secure the continued operation of the school, its playing fields and swimming pool, with more than sufficient space to cater for any school expansion. School activities and those of the various groups that use the school grounds can be more than comfortably accommodated on the remaining College lands.”

Fr Nolan stated that the development site area would not impact the operation of the school.

He said that the remaining institutional land “would be vastly more than that required for the size of the school and associated uses”.