Category Archives: Planning

30 Mar 2022

Dundrum Road – New Town?

We have added up all the developments being planned for Dundrum Road (we are including the Old Shopping Centre in this), and the numbers are, quite frankly, startling. The total number of units being planned for Dundrum Road alone (just the road, not the environs), is 2,462. To put this in perspective, if you very conservatively multiply that by a figure of 1.5 persons per household, that gives a new population of 3,750. Roughly the population of Carrick-on-Shannon, or possibly Kilcoole, on this one road. This does not include sites on this road that are due to be developed, but for which no plans have been lodged yet, e.g. Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

This lack of planning is a direct result of the SHD system. If you have any comment to make about this, we suggest you contact our elected representatives.

231 apartments – Mount St Mary’s (Marist) Dundrum Rd, granted 25/8/21
115 apartments – Highfield Park/Frankfort Castle, Dundrum Rd, granted 20/12/21
64 apartments – American Golf, Dundrum Rd, TBD by 8/4/22
977 + 80 units – Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum Rd, TBD
111 apartments, Sommerville/Larchfield, Dundrum Rd, TBD by 27/6/2022
884 apartments, Dundrum old shopping centre, application to be lodged any day.

Total : 2,462 units

29 Mar 2022

Vector Motors – Planning Quashed

The Board of Management in Trimbleston was successful in their Judicial Review in relation to the student accommodation development planned for the Vector Motors site. The decision to grant planning here has now been quashed by the High Court. 

26 Mar 2022

Imagine Dundrum – Old Shopping Centre

As you know, Imagine Dundrum are keeping us up to date on the situation regarding Hammerson’s proposal to develop this site. They expect an application to be lodged any day. The expectation is that the total number of units on this site will be somewhere in the region of 880, with buildings up to 16 storeys in height. You can find out more through this Imagine Dundrum newsletter and also on their website.

12 Nov 2021

Imagine Dundrum Webinar

Imagine Dundrum are holding a webinar “A Changing Dundrum Village: Information and Inspiration” next Tuesday evening,16th November, 8pm – 9.15pm. With the imminent development of the old shopping centre site by Hammerson (The UK company that owns the site, and some of Dundrum Main Street, has plans to build 800+ apartments on the site. You can read about this here.), this will be an opportunity to find out more. The Chair for the evening will be Dr Alan Mee, UCD School of Architecture. 

Register for the webinar here.

The agenda is as follows:

  • Welcome and introductory remarks
  • Strategic Housing Development – the challenges to communities
    Robin Mandal, former Director, RMA Architects, former President of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, Chair of the Dublin Democratic Planning Alliance (DDPA)
  • Designing for Liveable Neighbourhoods: the case for low rise/ high density building – John Dobbin, Architect, Urbanist and Director, Shay Cleary Architects
  • Re-imagining Dundrum Village: proposals from Imagine Dundrum Anne Colgan, Chair/ co-founder of Imagine Dundrum, and Independent Councillor for Dundrum Ward, DLR Council
  • Questions and suggestions for the panel
  • Conclusions

11 Jun 2021

OLG – Decision Made

An Bord Pleanála have made their decision regarding the 698 bed, 8 block, 7 storey, 9 car park spaces, student accommodation SHD development for the Our Lady’s Grove site. They have granted full permission for the development. It is a very disappointing result, and a very poor planning decision. They acknowledge this development will materially contravene the DLR County Development Plan in 4 different ways – height, density, open space and Part V housing (the requirement for developments to provide a percentage of social housing to the Council. There will be no social housing, or funding in lieu provided to the Council for this development.).

The only option to potentially reverse this decision is by requesting leave to take a Judicial Review at the High Court. This review would only take legal, not planning, matters into account, and is a substantial undertaking.

If you would like to see the Inspector’s Report from An Bord Pleanála, you can find that here.

If you would like to see the Chief Executive’s Report from DLR County Council, dating from April, (which recommended refusal on various grounds), you can see that here.

If you have any comments regarding this development, or the SHD process in general, we would suggest you contact your local politician(s).

14 May 2021

Vector Motors – Judicial Review

Trimbleston’s board of management has been granted leave to request a Judicial Review of the planning granted to the SHD proposed for the Vector Motors site. The case will be back in Court in June to set hearing dates etc.

14 Apr 2021

IGB – Planning Application Withdrawn

The Department of Education and Skills has withdrawn the planning application for the temporary buildings for the new Educate Together Secondary School on the IGB site. As mentioned before, an appeal was lodged in relation to this grant of permission. However the Department decided to withdraw the application altogether due to the Council’s conditions in relation to making the site open to the public during the temporary phase of the school. The new secondary school will stay in the Notre Dame buildings for now.