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File image of a sign above the door of a Woodie's DIY superstore and garden centre. Alamy Stock Photo

Owner of Woodies DIY object to Dublin Metrolink over 'unacceptable' impact on business

It’s been argued that the proposed works will permanently damage trade and severely impact the customer experience at the store.

THE GRAFTON GROUP plc-owned Woodies DIY is objecting to the draft Railway Order for the planned Dublin MetroLink over the impact it will have on a Woodies DIY outlet in Swords in north Dublin.

The Grafton Group operates a Woodies DIY outlet that includes a garden centre and a 170 car space car park adjoining the Seatown roundabout in Swords.

In a 22 page objection against the MetroLink, planning consultant for Woodies DIY, Alan Whelan states that the current Metrolink proposal “will have an unacceptable impact on businesses such as Woodies”.

Whelan of O’Connor Whelan planning consultancy stated that this can be avoided by a simple re-alignment of the scheme at the location.

The MetroLink scheme is to comprise 16 new stations running from Swords to Charlemont, will carry 53 million passengers per annum and An Bord Pleanála has confirmed that it received 318 submissions on the draft Railway Order.

Whelan has told An Bord Pleanála that the proposed route of Metrolink will have an unacceptable impact on the operation of the Woodies Store, so much so that it may un-necessarily affect the viability and practical use of retail at the location and the practicality of running a business there “will be compromised for a number of years, or indeed permanently”.

Whelan states the current planned route “cannot be decided on until a cost benefit analysis has been undertaken, including an assessment of the impact on existing businesses and development sites”.

He states that “this analysis should have been undertaken and provided to all stakeholders, which it has not”.

Whelan states that the basis for the objection is the length of the construction period, the negative impact on access to the Woodies site; the negative impact on car-parking for the Woodies store and its external garden centre.

Whelan states that the proposed works are for an unnecessarily long, will permanently damage trade and will severely impact the customer experience at the store.

He points out that the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) lodged with the scheme indicates that the duration of works at the ‘Woodie’s Satellite site’ will be four and a half years.

Whelan states that while the location of the store per se will not be affected by the acquisition of lands, the location and extent of the external garden centre of the store will be severely curtailed to such a degree that it will have to be relocated on the site.

Whelan pointed out that the Railway Order for Metro North proposed a route on the central reservation of the Swords Rd which could have been constructed with minimal impact.

Whelan stated that the current proposed MetroLink on private and commercial lands will significantly add to the cost of the scheme due to unnecessary land acquisition costs.

He states that the proposed draft Railway Order will result in the loss of around 70 car-parking spaces because of the temporary and permanent Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) of lands.

An Bord Pleanála is due to make a decision on the draft Railway Order in May.

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    Mute CrabaRev
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    Feb 26th 2019, 8:42 AM

    @Ann Lennon:
    From reading this and other articles, it would appear that the “fall from grace” was in his mind.
    A much more pertinent question, was the councillor with with whom he had 10 sessions suitably qualified to determine whether Hawe was a danger to himself or his family? I think “the two felt a connection.” is an extraordinary statement.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Feb 26th 2019, 9:44 AM

    @John Jones: the point is they don’t know. The gardai won’t release the files and the school has never once contacted the family.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Feb 26th 2019, 11:32 AM

    @John Jones: no, not a deliberate cover up, but the family are entiteled to some answers to their legitimate questions. The fact that the school has never contacted these people is not speculation, it’s fact, according to them.

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    Mute Anthony Gallagher
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:32 AM

    Tragic and cruel, but there are far too many experts on here giving their twopence worth.If only mental health was that easy to diagnose,leave it to those that have some idea what they are talking about .

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    Mute Matt Beaumont
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:41 AM

    @Anthony Gallagher: well obviously they didn’t in that case.

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    Mute John Jones
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:46 AM

    @James Wallace: Do you think theres a cover up. I think it’s sad how there’s a massive slight being put on the school based on pure speculation.

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    Mute Jane
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    Feb 26th 2019, 2:18 PM

    @CrabaRev: I dont think it’s true to say the fall from grace was in his head. From the Independent.

    He has said in his own words that he was caught red-handed and we do know that he was looking at pornography….

    “We’ve had sight of the counselling notes and he had said he was masturbating somewhere that he shouldn’t have been… So we have pieces of information but we don’t know who caught him.
    “We do know, in the June, he cancelled all his counselling sessions and this all happened the day before he was to return to school,” she said. “He said that it was easier for them to die than to have to live with the truth of what he was doing.”

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Feb 26th 2019, 8:10 PM

    @Jane: The counselor said that he said this?? She was in a position to go to gardai with this information; patient confidentiality goes out the window when there is a real risk to life. Did she pass this information onto the guards before the murders?

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    Mute CrabaRev
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    Feb 26th 2019, 4:54 PM

    @Jane: I replied to your comment, but my comment was deleted for some weird Journal.ie reason. What you have just quoted from the Indo was a quote from Clodagh’s sister.

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:19 AM

    It seems it is about the will, and who gets what! Which family benefits from the assets left over…I was wondering why this case had come up again. It is petty infighting between family…..over the assets left behind…

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    Mute Maria Hickey-Fagan
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:57 AM

    @GerryCummins: would you ever stop. This is a broken, devastated family looking for answers.

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    Mute Anne O'Brien
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    Feb 28th 2019, 4:33 AM

    This Family needs answers, why do they not have the full story. Release all records if you will not share the truth. That councillor statement is bizarre, and a big worry if you ask me. Badly done school. I say wow Mammy, Sister, Granmother, and Aunt you are now fighting for the defenseless I really hope you get your answers. Why O Why

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    Mute helen walsh
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:40 AM

    My comments are constantly removed, who is behind that? Is my personal information being given to cronies..

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