Over 700 objections against Dundrum plans filed with ABP

Over 700 submissions have been lodged with An Bord Pleanala objecting to the 881 unit apartment scheme proposed for Dundrum village.

The €466 million project is being led by UK developer Hammerson, which also owns Dundrum Town Centre.

The developer is proposing to demolish the old Dundrum shopping centre and construct the development on the site.

The application was filed with An Bord Pleanala as a Strategic Housing Development – meaning it can bypass council approval and be brought straight to the planning board.

However, the proposal has been largely condemned by local residents and politicians who say that the development is too large and overwhelming for the area.

Eight residents’ associations, one primary school and several local politicians are amongst the 705 objections submitted with ABP.

The objections describe the scheme as a “visual catastrophe,” “monstrous,” “appalling,” and a “developer’s dream.”

The development consists of 11 apartments blocks across four “zones” with one “landmark” building reaching 16-storeys in height.

The mix of the scheme is made up of 335 one-bedroom apartments, 85 two-bedroom three person apartments, 379 two-bed four person units, and 82 three-bed units.

In her objection, Aileen Eglington, chairperson of the Kilternan-Glenamuck Residents Association said that it “it is wrong that a developer can dictate how a full village is developed.

“Whilst we all recognise that we must have housing for current need, this development is not the answer”.

Another local resident, Laura Watters, told the board that “the scale of the development is huge and not in line with the area.

“Tower blocks are not part of any main street in Ireland and do not belong in Dundrum […] The views of the mountains and village will be totally ruined.”

Imagine Dundrum spokesperson Nick Armstrong said in a statement that the plans contain several “matters of great concern.

“Key to our vision for Dundrum’s future are two basic principles,” he said.

“First, respect for the scale and character of its historic streetscape, and second, an adequate development response to Dundrum’s status as the second major centre in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County, one which serves a rapidly expanding population.”

Local TD and Minister for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan also voiced her opposition to the plans in her submission.

“Many local residents have contacted me as their constituency TD to voice their concerns, and suggest alterations, regarding this proposed development,” she said.

“In particular, they have expressed their worry that the proposed height and density of the development will place undue pressure on local infrastructure, such as public transport, roads, and schools.

“Residents are especially worried that the proposed sixteen-storey height of one of the apartment blocks is excessive and not in keeping with the surrounding area,” she said.

She has asked the appeals board “to give strong consideration to the concerns of all local residents, and takes their views into account, when the Board makes its decision”.