More than 7,000 objections to ‘shameful’ revamp of Lucan village

More than 7,000 objections have been lodged with South Dublin County Council against plans to redesign Lucan village with the loss of 10 car parking spaces.

Council chief executive Danny McLoughlin will recommend councillors approve the plans on Monday despite a concerted local campaign against their adoption.

A total of 7,317 submissions were made on the proposal which would see the number of parking spaces in Lucan village reduced from 225 to 215 as part of a redesign of the village green.

Less than 1 per cent of the submissions were in favour of the scheme, with the vast majority of opposition “almost exclusively because of the proposed reduction in car parking spaces” the council said.

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The €2 million redesign involves the reconfiguration of the under-utilised park at the southern end of the village to create a green with an “amphitheatre-style space” and bandstand.

Main Street, to the west of the green, would be resurfaced and 40 existing car parking spaces would be removed, with the provision of 16 new spaces on the street, including three disability spaces, and another 14 spaces within 100 metres, the council said.

Initially the council had proposed a net loss of 11 car parking spaces, but following the consultation process, the proposal that will be submitted to councillors on Monday sees this reduced to 10.

Submissions opposing the scheme described it as “shameful” and “a disgrace” claiming it would “destroy” local business, deny access to medical services, increase antisocial behaviour, create a “pedestrian wasteland” and turn the village into a “mini Temple Bar”.

The council said in response to concerns about access to the medical facility it was proposing to provide three disabled parking bays and two “age-friendly” parking bays. “The focus for these bays will be for people seeking to access the medical facility.”

Traffic studies has shown “there was no hour in the week when there was no parking available, either across the whole of Lucan Village or within this section of Main Street”, the council said.

While there would be “a minor inconvenience for some drivers” who may not be able to immediately find a parking space, “these drivers will be able to find access to on-street parking within a very short walk from the Main Street”, it said.

“In the wider context, parking is still being amply provided for, and the reduction in number is minimal and balanced in order to achieve a successful public realm for all its users and the sustainable future of Lucan and the county.

In a statement the Lucan Village Business and Services Group, which had campaigned against the removal of parking said it was “shocked and deeply disappointed” the proposals were being put to a vote of the full council on Monday, without first being presented to local councillors.

The revised proposal “differs only slightly” from the original, it said, with just one additional parking space. “It is clear to us that adequate regard has not been paid to the many thousands of unique written submissions received during the consultation period.”