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Submission on Dun Laoghaire Golf Club Lands
Planning Department
31st July 2006
To whom it concerns
D06A/0927 – Dun LaoghaireGolfClubLands, Southern End.
I enclose a cheque for €20 required to lodge an objection to this proposed development.
I think it prudent and in the interests of proper planning and development to conduct a local area plan, given the impact development of this site will have on the whole infrastructure of the local area. The golf club site must be treated as one whole unit. It is madness to consider permission on one half of the site without knowing what will be proposed for the other half.
To lodge an application on a half site is not appropriate. The Department of the Environment’s own guidelines recommends that a planning application of the scale proposed here would warrant a consultation process along the lines of a local area plan. This should be engaged upon in order for residents to have an input into the development of what effectively is a new “town quarter”
The size and scale of the development warrants a local area plan and I would caution against considering permission for a development of this size without proper analysis on the impact on the water system, the roads, and essential services including schools.
I am particularly concerned about the impact this development will have on traffic congestion. The amount of traffic that will be generated will be considerable given that there are 856 housing units proposed on this half of the site and 1544 parking spaces.
The existing road infrastructure will be stretched beyond capacity. Congestion is already a problem so a development of this size will add to the misery for residents.
The plan rises at highest point to seven storeys. Adjacent buildings are all low mainly two storey houses. To impose a seven storey apartment block into such an environment is to create an eye sore. It, in my view, constitutes over development of a suburban site. 73% of the development will be apartments. This does not represent a good mix of housing types which is necessary in a suburban context.
The Council will be aware that parts of the land adjacent to the site at Carriglea Downs are subject to flooding. A development of the scale proposed in this application will alter significantly the water table. Has the council done adequate research into the impact of the development on the water table? It is foolish to rely on research carried out by the developers themselves in relation to this matter as they have a vested interest – they are hardly objective in their opinion.
The site is full of mature trees. I am anxious that they be retained. Trees are vital to the absorption of Co2. The site is particularly attractive given the mature setting. It will be a sorry loss to lose many of these trees. Particular care must be taken to minimize the loss of the trees.
Given the size of the development and the amount of apartments, is there really enough public open space designated? There is an opportunity for the developers to provide designated play spaces be they football pitches or tennis or basketball courts for local clubs.
One of the most objectionable aspects of this development is the proposals contained in it to demolish boundaries with adjacent housing estates and to encroach upon the green spaces and the cul-de-sacs which have been established in these neighbourhoods. Many local residents areincensed at the plans to break in to their housing estates (one example being Sefton), to facilitate this development. It is not appropriate for any new development to upset the existing settlement pattern of a community. It is arrogant in the extreme for developers to expect existing private amenities to contribute to the enhancement of their own development. This should not be permitted or encouraged.
I do hope that you will deem it inappropriate to grant permission to this development as it is essentially a half site and the whole site needs the consideration of a local area plan.
I sincerely hope you give consideration to the above.
Yours sincerely,
Fiona O’Malley T.D.