Fingal County Council has granted planning permission to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for 193 homes on a site of the former Teagasc Research Centre at the Malahide Road near Kinsealy in north Dublin despite local opposition.
The council gave permission after concluding the scheme “would provide a high quality new residential area and would be an excellent example of plan-led development”.
The 49 page council planner’s report development also found the scheme “thoroughly conforms to the planning framework provided for the area”.
The council concluded that the scheme “provides a satisfactory standard for residential amenity, would be acceptable in terms of urban design and quantum of development”.
READ MORE
The LDA lodged the plans in February after Teagasc agreed to transfer the lands to the LDA for the development of affordable housing in accordance with its mandate to accelerate the delivery of affordable new homes throughout Ireland.
The scheme comprises 193 residential dwellings including 153 houses and 40 duplex units arranged in three storey blocks on a site 4km southeast of Kinsealy village centre.
The scheme also provides for 229 car parking spaces, 345 bicycle spaces and four acres of public open space while in addition, 5.4 acres of greenbelt zoned lands are included to the south and southeast of the residential development area to accommodate a playing pitch.
In response to the scheme, on behalf of the Kinsealy and Chapel Road Community Organisation, Sean Crawford told the council that “building more houses is not just the answer - it’s about creating sustainable communities that can truly thrive”.
He said that building the scheme without a comprehensive vision “will ultimately increase strain on current residents and diminish quality of life throughout the growing communities of Fingal”.
Mr Crawford stated that the proposed three-storey duplexes fundamentally violate the area’s rural character and objectives of the Fingal Development Plan which explicitly safeguard rural aesthetics and require appropriate density and scale.
In his objection, David Bent from Gandon Lane, Kinsealy contended: “While I appreciate the need for new housing and development in our area, I have serious concerns regarding the lack of supporting infrastructure, which would significantly impact the safety and wellbeing of current and future residents.
“The local schools are already operating at or near full capacity. This development would place additional pressure on these institutions, limiting access to quality education for families moving into the area.”
