Fundraiser to appeal Corballis East development raises over €14,000

An online fundraiser set up to finance a potential legal challenge to the proposed large scale residential development for Corballis East in Donabate has raised over €14,000 at the time of writing.

The development is being progressed by Aledo Donabate Ltd and plans show that the property firm has submitted planning permission to An Bord Pleanala for 1,365 apartments and houses on the Donabate peninsula.

The complex would consist of 1,019 apartments and 346 houses.

However, local residents are planning on legally challenging the proposal should ABP grant permission.

Organisers of the GoFundMe page set a target of €10,000 – but this has already been surpassed with the total lying at €12,750 at the time of publication.

“Donabate Portrane Community Council needs your help to employ expert planners, ecologists and engineers to help the community fight this entirely unsuitable development at Corballis East, which will irreversibly destroy the peninsula,” the organisers say.

“This application constitutes the second biggest Strategic Housing Development (SHD) application in the history of the State and will increase the population of Donabate from its current ca. 10,000 to over 14,000 people.

“This development of mainly one and two bed apartments is custom designed to be sold to cuckoo funds to be rented out at high prices and will not deliver the much-needed homes in our community.

“This high-density development is entirely unsuited to a rural environment and is attempting to transplant an inner-city scheme to an area which is already suffering severely from a lack of infrastructure and proper facilities,” they say.

Donabate Portrane Community Council says that the project is an “atrocious and audacious attempt” by the developers to maximise profits “but with zero regard for its consequences.”

“The funds collected here will explicitly be used for engagement of expert consultants to support our case, as well as to cover the cost of business needed for the Donabate Portrane Community Council to continue supporting your community: Public liability and event insurance, zoom license, printing leaflets…,” it says.

Local Fianna Fail councillor Adrian Henchy said he “would have very serious concerns and reservations regards this Strategic Housing Development application.

“My thanks to Donabate Portrane Community Council for also highlighting this major planning application slipped into An Bord Pleanala by the developer during the height of the summer season.

“Have been raising and will continue to raise this application with the Chief Executive and Planning department of FCC.

“If it’s not in compliance with the Donabate Local Area Plan will be opposing it in the strongest possible terms at every chance I get and will be asking the Chief Executive and my colleagues on FCC to also strongly support the Donabate LAP even if it means opposing this particular application.”

Local Labour representative Corina Johnstone also expressed her concern about the development saying: “Having read the planning report, I am taken aback at the extent to which this application is at variance with the Donabate Local Area Plan and the County Development Plan on densities, housing mix, height and visual sensitivity.

“The Local Area Plan which was approved following various public consultation processes recommended predominantly two storey units with increased heights in the proposed development centre and close to the town centre.

“The number of material contraventions in this planning application may well make this process irrelevant and a waste of time in the future. “