Developers dumping on Donabate

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Tonto
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Joined: 05 Sep 2017, 12:15

Are developers trying to overburden Donabate with housing by tearing up the Local Area Plan?
Bankrupt developer Bernard McNamara has just got permission for 151 houses on the New Road, backing on to The Links.
This is despite the fact that the site is outside the Local Area Plan (LAP) lands.
The LAP restricts development to 4,000 units on specified lands. It calls for phased construction until the distributor road and other infrastructure, such as schools, are in place. It was negotiated with the involvement of the community.
But it seems Fingal County Council and McNamara want to ignore the LAP.
If this is not opposed a precedent will be set, and other developers will then dictate how they want to build on the peninsula.
It will be a free-for-all, just like the days of the Celtic Tiger.
A group called Supporting Sustainable Development In Donabate (SSPD) has been revived to oppose ad hoc and piecemeal development.
SSPD will appeal the McNamara planning consent to An Bord Pleanála.
The group is NOT against housing, but construction that takes place must be sustainable and part of the LAP area and in line with its provisions. The LAP is a statutory document.
SSPD is holding a general meeting for all Donabate/Portrane residents on Tuesday 12th September at 8.30pm in the parish hall in Donabate.
We have invited all our local representatives along to hear concerns about current and future development on our peninsula.
Charlie Weston
jack white
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That's astonishing. Why on Earth have the council given permission to build outside the LAP? The LAP is there for a reason. And how ridiculous is it that a developer famed for going bankrupt is the one who has managed to do this apparently dubious deal?

Perhaps all those developers who were partly responsible for the recession of recent years are now brave enough to stick their heads above the parapet and start lobbying politicians to look after them again. Already Fianna Fail are threatening to give tax breaks to developers. People are going to need to keep an eye on the developer/politician relationship, especially when it concerns those parties with a history of 'looking after' developers.

It took a long time to produce a LAP that people were satisfied with. It can't simply be ignored. See you on Tuesday.
bland
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see you next tuesday
donnelbg
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Unfortunately I can't make the meeting as I'm on holiday but could you post the outcomes here? Thanks.
jayflame
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Shouldn't any future building projects be put on hold until the relief road is built?
We don't want any more construction on the peninsular until it is.

Maybe we need to start a petition to stop FCC granting permission for works which would start before the road is complete?
sunnysideup
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Joined: 11 Jul 2013, 10:28

I have no problem with development in general once the correct infrastructure is in place. The site itself is not included in the phased development outlined in the 2016 LAP Map. Why bother with a Local Area Plan if FCC are going to grant permission for development irrespective of what has been agreed? It smacks of 'brown envelopes'.

Aside from the galling fact that a statutory document has been completely ignored by FCC, what I cannot understand is the type of housing which has been granted permission. The development includes 90 apartments, equating to 59.6% of the total dwellings proposed. There are existing unfinished apartments in The Gallery, there is also an application for planning for 62 apartments as part of a development on The Hearse Road and more behind the Beresford development. How many people bought apartments at inflated prices just to get their foot on the ladder back in the height of the so called 'boom' and are still in those apartments due to negative equity trying to raise a family in a cramped space?

The other 'interesting' feature of this development is that 99 dwellings, or 65.56% of the proposed development, have 2 bedrooms. With so many families in need of housing, why on earth would FCC think that 2-bed Duplex apartments are an appropriate solution? Aside from the unsuitable nature of a duplex dwelling for families, how will this type of dwelling facilitate elderly people both now and into the future and those with disabilities?

Over 120 objections were made to the planning application and it would appear they have largely been ignored by FCC. Planning has been refused for development based on far fewer objections. Planning in Ireland is a messy mess. It makes me want to give up and give in :-(
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Ken
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Reminder that this meeting is on tonight at 8.30 p.m. in the Parish Hall.
Regards,

Ken.
1stimer
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Joined: 30 Nov 2014, 19:26

Thanks Ken - will be there.
jack white
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Great turn out last night. Hopefully the numbers alone will have an impact.

Notably, it was the contribution from Councillor Duncan Smith that seemed to strike a chord with people. When he said he was very suspicious about why the permission was granted for the New Road development with such alarming haste I think it's fair to say he was echoing what everybody else was thinking.
Mr. Stupid
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1. Labour dude said developers were meeting planners to pre-agree what would be proposed. Did that happen?
2. FF dude said that if your application has more than 100 houses. Did that apply?
3. Devitt seemed to explain why it is legally possible to develop outside LAP. I couldn't understand, maybe someone can explain? Wasn't she kicked out of FG for her association with developers?

A few euro's will be needed to move this forward, how about we charge for parking outside Scrum Diddly's?
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