Planning refusal for Leopardstown ice rink sparks appeal

A Cork-based events company is contesting a local authority decision to refuse planning permission for the temporary operation of an ice-skating rink in South Dublin.

Cool Running Events Ltd has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council’s decision to refuse permission to operate the ice-skating rink at Leopardstown racecourse for the upcoming Christmas period.

The company’s plans were thwarted last month when a rival ice-skating rink operator, the Blue Martini Group trading Dundrum on Ice, lodged an objection against them.

Cool Running Events is seeking the operation of an ice-skating rink on lands at Leopardstown Racecourse from October 28th to January 31st next and equivalent periods over the following two years.

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However, An Bord Pleanála is not scheduled to make a decision on the appeal until February and with the current backlog in cases, it is likely that a decision won’t be made until later in 2023 unless the case is fast-tracked.

Chief executive of Dundrum on Ice, Jason Williams, called on the council to refuse planning permission, stating that the proposed location of the Cool Running Events Ltd scheme is inappropriate and the 98 car-space car park confirms the facility is reliant on car-borne customers.

Mr Williams said the proposal would exacerbate traffic congestion at peak periods.

The council refused permission as the plan does not accord with the sequential test for commercial leisure facilities due to the relatively isolated nature of the site, the quantum of car parking proposed in an area devoid of facilities and at a remove from public transport options.

In response, on behalf of Cool Running Events Ltd, planning consultants Cunnane Stratton Reynolds has told the appeals board that the proposal was subject to only one objection and was from a competitor, Dundrum on Ice.

Cunnane Stratton Reynolds said that there is a significant grievance against the council’s decision as it has not sufficiently considered or understood the nature of the development.

The consultants said that if the council had done so, it would have resulted in a different and positive outcome for Cool Running Events Ltd.

Cunnane Stratton Reynolds told the appeals board that the proposed development is for a recreational and leisure nature on a site that has been used for that purpose for many years.