Major boost for St Anne’s campaigners

LOCAL campaign groups were praised last week after it was revealed that An Bord Pleanála made an error in approving a large-scale housing development on a site beside St Anne’s Park.

In April residents were left reeling when the planning board granted permission to Crekav Trading GP, subject to 24 conditions, to construct 536 residential units on lands surrounding St Paul’s College on Sybil Hill Road.

Local residents and public representatives had staged a major protest in January against the planning application.

Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Lab) welcomed news that the residents’ legal challenge proved successful. 

“The admission of An Bord Pleanála in the High Court that they made an error in granting permission to construct 536 units on playing fields adjacent to St Anne’s Park is a hugely significant development,” said Senator Ó Ríordáin

“The community has been completely vindicated in seeking this Judicial Review and both ‘I Love St Anne’s’ and Clontarf Residents’ Association are to be congratulated.

“The reasons for An Bord Pleanála’s position will be made known in court on Monday July 16 but what is clear is that the application in its current form has effectively been quashed.”

Cllr Ciarán O’Moore (SF), who represents the Clontarf Local Electoral Area (LEA), said: “I want to commend the residents and the ‘I Love St Anne’s’ group who took this Judicial Review. However, they should not have had to do that. 

“The new fast-track planning process totally disregards the views and concerns of local communities, and that is simply not acceptable.”

Lord Mayor of Dublin Nial Ring said: “We all acknowledge that we need homes to be built but not at the price we would have had to pay for this particular development.

“The biodiversity of the entire coastal area around Dublin must be protected and this decision will encourage all Dubliners that our unique coastline can and will be protected.”

Dublin Bay North TD Denise Mitchell (SF) said: “Sinn Féin is not against housing developments, and we want to see the creation and development of sustainable communities in our city. 

“However, the initial decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for such a large development flew in the face of Dublin City Council’s Development Plan which clearly designated the lands for institutional and community use.”

People Before Profit councillor John Lyons said Dublin has a number of wonderful public parks and St Anne's is the “cream of the crop”.  

“So to have allowed the development to proceed would have been against the common good, our common shared space and our collective well-being as a city as it would have signalled a free-for-all for other developers to seek planning permission on lands zoned for community and institutional use,” said Cllr Lyons. 

When contacted, An Bord Pleanála was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.