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SOME OF THE country’s best known retail brands have appealed against Fingal County Council granting planning permission to contentious €450 million plans for a 971 unit apartment scheme for the Blanchardstown Town Centre site.
Last month, Fingal County Council granted planning permission to owner of the Blanchardstown Town Centre, Goldman Sachs for the mixed use scheme comprising seven apartment blocks with one rising to 16 storeys in height.
However, eight third party appeals have been lodged with An Bord Pleanála against the Council decision and those to appeal include Smyths Toys, TK Maxx, Woodies DIY, Harvey Norman and Lifestyle Sports.
Applicants and Goldman Sachs entity, Blanche Retail Nominee Ltd have also lodged a first party appeal against the decision.
Other third party appellants are listed as the Whitestown Residents and others, Labour councillor John Walsh and local resident Glen Conroy from the nearby Hillbrook Woods, Dublin 15.
The Council granted planning permission after concluding that the scheme would contribute to consolidating Blanchardstown town centre and provide residential development close to existing services and facilities. The scheme also includes seven commercial units, a community facility, a place of worship and a childcare facility.
On behalf of Lifestyle Sports, Head of Sustainability, Property and LP Muriel O’Keeffe stated that “we are alarmed by the proposed reduction in customer car-parking space. It is difficult to comprehend how the applicant could consider this acceptable”.
O’Keeffe stated that there will be an overall reduction of 525 retail car-parking post development stating “our customers will simply go elsewhere should there be such a significant reduction in car-parking at the application site”.
O’Keeffe said: “It is difficult to comprehend how the applicant could consider this acceptable”.
Consultants for Smyths Toys, RW Nowlan & Associates stated that “it is simply unacceptable” that substandard parking provision for the existing retail units would be available for at least 2.5 years at a minimum.
They stated: “This development should not be permitted to proceed until such a time as a significant and vast reduction in the scale of the development is undertaken.”
On behalf of TK Maxx, Director at Tom Phillips + Associates, John Gannon contended that the proposed development “has the potential to significantly impacted upon the commercial operations of TK Maxx, on a long term basis due to the reduced and less convenient car provision and also for a prolonged temporary period arising from the construction stage”.
On behalf of Woodies DIY, RW Nowlan & Associates have stated that planning permission “should be refused in this instance pending review and consultation by the applicant with the existing business operators with the retail park to provide a sustainable solution to development at the subject site”.
Planning consultant for the scheme, John Spain told the council that the proposal “will provide much needed residential accommodation” and the site is considered suitable for the density, scale, massing and design of the development proposed.
As part of the plan, the applicants are proposing to sell 97 units for social housing to Fingal County Council for €44.9 million.
The appeals board is due to make a decision on the appeal at the end of May.
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Let it go….
@HearMeNow33: Are you mad? This will be wall to wall, for a few weeks.
@Tommy Berry: True. Can’t let a chance of some shinner bashing pass them by.
@Seán Óg: says the shinnerbot
@Denis Logan: How predictable of you.
When is the Gardaí report on Charlie Flanagan potential Covid-19 breaches at Colm Horkan funeral
@tirnanog1979: no comparison and you know it
@Jane: Both funerals broke the regulations Jane and you know it.
@tirnanog1979: that would be Detective Garda Colm Horkan.
@Seán Óg: SF could have sent representatives to Mr Storeys funeral as happened with Garda Horkans funeral and I don’t think anyone could have complained. Instead SF attended the funeral en masse, traveling from all over the country to do so and gathered in a graveyard to give a graveside oration where no burial was taking place.
@Jane: Nonsense, they were as bad as each other
@Jane: Both funerals had large crowds and poor social distancing. If you admonish SF for the Storey funeral then surely you must do the same for Garda Horkan’s funeral. Your disliking of SF seems to be clouding your judgement Jane.
@Seán Óg: but only one was attending in very large numbers by political party reps from all over the country. That’s the difference.
Why is it even when SF are obviously wrong no criticism is allowed?
Why do ye want to replace a crowd that dodge questions with another crowd that dodge questions?
@Jane: Critism is allowed Jane, but the obvious point you insist on ignoring, is that critism is selective and hypocritical. As was pointed out, you cant criticise one and not the other – but in your case, you did just that.
To me, both were wrong. It would seem, that to you, there is only political captital to be made from criticising one.
@tirnanog1979: It ill behooves Shinners to comment on any Garda’s funeral —–They were responsible for quite a few in their time and indeed have been known to give rapturous acclaim to certain Garda’s murderers.
@Angela McCarthy: and you are ignoring the involvement of a political party in only one of the funerals. A political party that was involved in the making of the rules for everyone else in that jurisdiction.
@Jane: A political party? dont you mean political parties, as more than one seems to be set on debating it. but not the other.
@Angela McCarthy: not sure what you mean by that Angela. Only one party is in bother over it because only one party attended en masse. Bringing a crowd to the graveyard unnecessarily was just ridiculous.
Everyone understands that Bobby Storey was an important figure in SF and as such no one would have batted an eyelid if some of the senior politicians in SF had attended as was done with Garda Horkans funeral.
@Jane: Where did I say no criticism is allowed? People attending both funerals broke government guidelines. So don’t cherry pick your outrage Jane. Call a spade a spade.
@Seán Óg: tell you what Sean you just continue to ignore what are the obvious differences between them as I’ve pointed out above. And continue to be outraged at all and any criticism leveled at SF.
@Jane: I have criticised SF over the attendance of Bobby’s funeral. Because it was wrong to stage a funeral with those numbers in attendance. But you ignore the fact that large numbers attended the Garda’s funeral, including some politicians. Same rules for everyone Jane.
One rule for that crowd, Sur they are the “law” 8 cremations the same day and no one allowed .
@Ger Murray: who’s that crowd ?.
@Airwave81: The uniformed woman and men that lined the streets
Clear the decks, Nolan show can’t wait to ramp up the whole funeral again, rest in peace Big Bobby, a giant among men.
now could they start investigating collusion with he uvf
The usual crowd talking about people in uniforms blah, blah, blah. What I saw were people in ordinary clothes coming out to see a true republican being laid yo rest, with a quarter of a million watching online which Sinn Féin Féin set up. The PSNI have already stated that there were no problems with it. Establishmemt supporters again trying to take away from their parties failure. No bank bailout? Ha ha
Just ticking a box… Nothing will happen
have your say