A CONTROVERSIAL planning application for an amusement arcade in Finglas has been rejected by Dublin City Council.
The application, which was seeking to open the facility on the Main Street of the village, met with a number of objections from local groups.
Local TD John Lyons (Lab) welcomed the council’s refusal of permission, describing it as
“the right decision for the future of the village.
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“Along with my colleagues Cllr Steve Wrenn and Cllr John Redmond, I wrote to the council to urge them to refuse permission for the amusement arcade in the interests of the social and economic life of the village,
? he added.
“We said that Finglas Village is a key commercial centre and this outlet would go against what the local people want for their village.
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Dublin City Council approved the internet café element of the application but refused permission for the amusement arcade, pointing out that there were at least five betting offices in the area.
“Crucially, they also echoed our point that if it went ahead it would fail to contribute to the creation of a vibrant retail and commercial core in the gateway village and would seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value of property in the vicinity,
? continued Deputy Lyons.
“This decision will be warmly welcomed by the local residents and groups who objected along with us, such as Finglas Tidy Towns and the Friends of Finglas Village.
“This is a good day for Finglas and I congratulate the council on listening to the people and making the right decision.
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The Friends of Finglas Village had strenuously objected to the application on the grounds that the village already had a number of bookmakers, nine take-aways and two gold shops, all within 200 square metres.
“The Tolka Area Partnership has recently appointed a retail consultant to work with local businesses and community groups to improve our village which unfortunately missed out on regeneration a number of years ago,
? their objection reads.
“We feel this proposal will undermine any decisions going forward.
“We want to see a vibrant Finglas Village again, but we have to be careful how this is developed.
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The Finglas Tidy Towns Committee had also objected to the plan as did Deputy Roisin Shortall (Lab) and Deputy Dessie Ellis (SF) who expressed concerns about the type of clientele an arcade would attract to the village.
“The building of an amusement arcade would attract a different cohort and this is of major concern to myself and the people who use the existing services in the village,
? he stated.
In his objection, Cllr Paul McAuliffe (FF) stated how Finglas was a historic village, which was recognised as a key district centre and
‘Gateway to the City’ in the 2011 Dublin City Development Plan.
“Like any leisure business, betting should be an occasional and enjoyable activity,
? he stated.
“By facilitating such a large number of such businesses in one small area, the council are excluding other types of shops and reducing the overall amenity that any village should be.
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