Castleknock Lidl plan rejected

FINGAL County Council has rejected plans for a new Lidl supermarket in Castleknock Village.

Permission had been sought for three buildings for the supermarket, a café, a medical centre and other retail outlets. Part of the proposed development was to be built within the Castleknock Village Architectural Conservation Area.

The council rejected the application under a number of grounds including that the development would represent

“the underutilisation and the inefficient use of serviced and zoned lands.

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Officials also considered that the proposed development would be out of character with development in the area and would be

“visually obtrusive

? when viewed in the context of the existing streetscape.

Local Green Party councillor, Roderic O’Gorman, welcomed the decision to refuse permission and warned that any plans for a bigger development in the village would be opposed.

“I’m pleased that planning permission for the Lidl development has been rejected,

? he said.

“Along with many residents of the area, I had real concerns that the developer had not fully taken account of the traffic that the proposed development would generate, nor had the parking needs of the new supermarket been properly assessed.

“I also felt that the design of the buildings did not fit in with the current look of Castleknock Village.

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“However, I’m very worried that in rejecting the Lidl development, the planners did not mention these concerns, but rather stated that the proposal was an

‘underutilisation’ of the flower shop site.

“This indicates that the planners actually want a higher density development on this site, perhaps similar to the five storey Uxbridge plan, granted permission in 2010.

“They also stated that they wanted a mixed development, including a residential aspect along with the commercial buildings.

“There is clearly a fundamentally different vision for the future of Castleknock village between the planners on one hand and the local community on the other.

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The applicants have until August 12 to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála.