Councillors welcome Clonsilla development plan

Local councillors have welcomed plans by Fingal County Council to develop Clonsilla.

The plan, which was first announced in January of this year, underwent a public consultation process early last year, and the results of said consultation were presented to councillors at a recent meeting.

Plans to develop Clonsilla and the surrounding areas were announced as part of The Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029, with the project starting to pick up steam.

In a statement in January, Fingal County Council said “this framework plan will guide the future development of Clonsilla to create a vibrant and distinct place that has community at its core.”

“The plan seeks to support and encourage economic, social and cultural development and provide an attractive, high-quality environment for existing and future residents. Public realm improvements, enhanced recreational facilities, new active travel infrastructure and improved accessibility are central to this plan.”

The meeting was told “there’s a lot of change happening” in the Clonsilla area, with the Local Area Plan which was drafted up in January 2021 noting that the area is part of the DART+ West plans and the Royal Canal Urban Greenway.

In the preamble to the document, it says of the DART+ West plan, “this will bring electrified/battery-powered trains to Clonsilla and more frequent services to Dublin City Centre.”

“Existing and future residents will benefit from this improved capacity. Clonsilla will become an attractive location for city centre commuters and the additional capacity and services will provide opportunities for greater integration along the route including Clonsilla”

Of the Royal Canal, it says “it is a significant asset for Clonsilla and is in a deep cut and has an overgrown, wooded ravine like character at this location.”

Bus routes, which were the focus of last year’s local and general election campaigns, will be upgraded as part of the plan with the 39 route being replaced with the new B2 route, with “consistent” 15 minute frequency planned. 

The number 37 route will not change, but will be improved to 20 minute frequency. 

In recent weeks, Dublin City Council announced plans for a new town named Ballyboggan on the Northside and Fingal County Council are actively looking into developing housing around the Dunsink area.

The plan for Clonsilla makes reference to “new residential communities” which is consistent with plans by both local and central government to expand Dublin’s reach out into West Dublin.

The public consultation received 336 submissions between January and February 2024, with the likes of anti-social behaviour, traffic impacts, a lack of services and community facilities, loss of trees and indeed, “limited public consultation” the most common issues raised during the process.

Among local business owners, it was noted that competition from Blanchardstown was the main source of competition from a revenue standpoint along with Ongar and Dublin City Centre.

29% of local retailers surveyed said that the sense of community in the village was the “main strength” of Clonsilla, with another 29% stating that the local pub was the “main strength.”

In response to the consultation, Fingal County Council said they plan to provide greater clarity about what exactly the works entail, and keeping the “character” of Clonsilla intact during the works.

Fine Gael councillor Ted Leddy said he was “very pleased” with the plan, but had some reservations about the usage of green spaces in the plan.

The plan calls for green areas near Castlefields being handed over and designated as a green space for the Clonsilla project, which Leddy said would be a “significant sacrifice” for local residents. 

“As a councillor I always viewed green areas as being in three different categories; pitches, open spaces, or parks. This plan appears to convert public space into a public park, which I think is an unusual practice.”

Leddy’s Fine Gael colleague Siobhain Shovlin said there has been a “sigh of relief” among residents that their feedback is being taken into account.

Labour councillor John Walsh said the plan was comprehensive, but residents should be allowed to give more input within the consultation process as to what exactly the nature of public improvements should be.

Walsh noted that there have been improvements to Dublin 15 in recent years, saying there is “concern” in Castlefield about the potential loss of the green space.

“I’ve been calling for a framework plan in Clonsilla since I was first elected, and I welcome the significant changes. There has been a huge amount of development in Clonsilla, and there’s a lot of feeling among residents that the development has occurred without infrastructure and public realm enhancements that protects Clonsilla for the future.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Eimear Carbone-Mangan said that clarity around public enhancement was needed, pointing to the potential loss of a playground in Castlefields as part of the plans.

Solidarity councillor Helen Redwood expressed concern about demolition orders such as King’s Cottage and Clonsilla Lodge, noting they are local historic landmarks.

“King’s Cottage was built in the early 1800s and must have enormous historic value I’d think. These sorts of historic sites should be developed as an amenity or attraction in the area instead of being demolished.”

Donall O’Ceallaigh of Fingal County Council said it would be “premature” to discuss the future of the old Clonsilla school house, saying there are “sensitives” with regards to heritage and ecology. 

O’Ceallaigh said the framework “takes precedent” in cases of local heritage, saying that heritage is “very important,” but applications would still be required to meet the development plan standards.

“We did a huge amount of work to make sure that any future work there is sustainable,” and said that a plan about the school house would be made available sometime in May.

He said that any work that is carried out by the council would be done in the spirit of public consultation, and what was being proposed at the meeting was a draft plan.

Following the passage of the plan, the plan is now within the purview of Fingal County Council, with O’Ceallaigh noting it now joins a similar plan to redevelop the coastal town of Donabate.