Whitehall residents want ‘age-friendly’ apartment complex scrapped

Whitehall residents are calling on Dublin City Council to reject proposals to develop “age-friendly” apartments on a carpark on Collins Avenue.

The project is being progressed by Clann Housing, a division of Clúid Housing, a not-for-profit Approved Housing Body (AHB).

Earlier this year, the development was reduced from seven to five storeys in height, after residents on Thatch Road expressed concerns about their homes being overlooked.

The plans will provide 91 homes for the over-55s on Dublin City Council’s housing list.

It will be submitted as a Part 8 planning application, which means it’s being carried out on behalf of the local authority.

However, the Whitehall Residents Association has come out completely against the development, citing several factors.

Kay White, the chairperson of the association says the project has been nicknamed the “Sardine Proposal” due to is supposed lack of light and high density of units.

She also says that the “carpark is an invaluable asset to the local area,” as it is currently used a park-and-ride facility.

“The cars arrive between 7:00am and 7:30am every morning either with bikes etc. and cycle to work or take public transport.

“Over the weekend the car park is often packed with people coming down from country and using it to go into town and watch a match.

“They often bus it down to Croker,” she says.

White is concerned that if the carpark is lost, the traffic in the area will greatly increase.

In a statement, Clann Housing said: “As part of our consultation process, concerns were raised about traffic during and after the construction of the proposed development.

“Our public representatives and councillors are fully aware of the importance of the carpark and they were involved with the original framework plan.”

“A dedicated traffic management plan will be created as part of the construction process, this is common on many construction projects of this size and will be managed by the professional construction team.”

White says that the resident’s association also fundraised over €2,500 to “get a geology survey done of the carpark.

It was found that the carpark lies on the “Lucan Formation” which is made of saturated limestone.

“If construction in the area starts it can be prone to subsidence.”

This means that the land where the carpark and surrounding buildings could drop due to the soil beneath the foundations being unstable.

“We don’t want to awaken the sleeping giant,” White says.