A SOLICITOR’S FIRM acting on behalf a number of local Ballymun residents has said it will be appealing a decision to grant planning permission for a development of 463 apartments on lands including the site of the former Ballymun Flats.

Dublin City Council granted permission for the Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) to Tuath Housing, an Approved Housing Body (AHB), for the development, which will comprise of a mix of 1-bed, 2-bed and 3-bed single storey and duplex apartments. 

The apartments will be a mix of social and cost-rental homes, with none to be sold on the open market. Tuath said that Cairn Homes is the proposed “construction partner” for the project. The permission was granted subject to 32 conditions. Dublin City Council currently owns the land, but an agreement is in place whereby Tuath will buy the land from the council following the completion of the development.

Tuath has worked with Cairn, a private developer, on a number of previous projects. 

In a statement, Setanta Solicitors, which is acting on behalf of 26 residents, said it intends to appeal the council’s decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

A spokesperson said the residents were “extremely disappointed” by the council’s decision.

The development will be built across over three hectares in the Coultry area of Ballymun, and will involve the demolition of four residential houses, as well as the Muck and Magic Community Garden. The Coultry Road part of the development is where four blocks of the former Ballymun Flats once stood, before they were demolished.

The planned development was met with strong local objections and criticism for a variety of reasons. Over 40 third-party submissions were received by the council from local residents, community groups and organisations.

DCC councillors from across the political spectrum also lodged observations raising concerns, including Conor Reddy, Gavin Pepper, Leslie Kane, Anthony Connaghan, and TD Dessie Ellis.

Overall, the submissions highlighted a number of concerns with the development. Among the main issues raised were the fact that four family homes would be demolished, resulting in the re-location of the people who lived there, and the destruction of the local community garden.

Other issued raised in the submissions include concerns that the plans represented over-development for the area, that it would significantly disrupt the lives of local residents, and that local amenities and public transport infrastructure would be overwhelmed.

A lack of car parking spaces was another concern raised, along with health concerns over the pollution caused by the works, and worries about water supply and sewage, as well as the threat to biodiversity and local wildlife. A lack of consultation with local residents was also raised, along with many other issues.

Loss of family homes

However, the primary concerns related to the loss of the four residential dwellings, the community garden, and that the plans represented a significant over-development for the area.

In one partially redacted submission received by the council, Nathalie Barber – who lives in one of the houses scheduled for demolition – said the emotional and mental toll on her family “has already been significant”. 

“This house has been in my family for 58 years. It is more that just a building – it is a longstanding family home filled with memories and significance,” she wrote.

“My mother, who is now 83 years old, who has only recently undergone major back surgery, has lived here for generations. Forcing her to relocate would not only cause unnecessary distress and disruption but would also take her away from lifelong neighbours and friends.

The psychological and emotional impact of such a move at her stage in life would be profound. 

Nathalie Barber also wrote that she cared for her daughter in the house, and the “uncertainty of potentially losing our home adds undue stress that no child should have to bear”.

She also states that the family found out about the planned demolition of their home “through a site notice placed abruptly in the ground, without any prior warning or communication”.

Nathalie and her mother have also spoken to media outlets as a part of their campaign to keep their homes.

In their report, the DCC planner said that the despite the issues raised, the demolition of the properties would be “the most sustainable and beneficial use of the land which will result in a significant benefit to the wider community through the delivery of affordable and energy efficient homes in addition to the provision high quality, landscaped areas of open space”.

The demolition of the properties is therefore acceptable in this instance and consistent with relevant planning policy.

Community garden

In another submission received by the council, Martin Maughan said he has cared for the the garden at Glór na nGael – that faces being removed in the development – for the past 20 years.

“To see so much of that hard work destroyed is truly heartbreaking,” he said.

“These gardens have always been more that just plants and pathways – they have been a sanctuary.”

In a separate submission, the members of the Muck and Magic Community Garden, which also faces destruction, said:

The garden is much more than just a space in which to grow fruit and vegetables however. It provides residents with an opportunity to actively engage in their community and to make a positive contribution to the social fabric and sense of community within Ballymun.

The development

The planned development will consist of 190 1-bed, 226 2-bed and 47 3-bed apartments and duplexes. It will be spread across 10 buildings, ranging in height from three to six storeys.

It will result in a number of new road layouts and adjustments, and include 144 new car parking spaces. The planning application also states that the development will include public open spaces and communal amenity spaces.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Tuath Housing said:

“Tuath Housing and Dublin City Council are pleased to have a positive planning decision at Coultry Gardens and are working together to progress the project.

“This development marks a major long-term investment in Ballymun and forms part of a wider response to the ongoing housing supply challenge within Dublin City.

“On completion, the project will provide circa 450 high-quality, energy efficient homes and result in the creation of a sustainable, mixed-tenure  community. All homes in the development are to be either social, to be allocated to households on the local authority housing list, and Cost Rental, for middle-income earners. No units are to be sold.

“Delivered in partnership with Dublin City Council, the development will include a purpose-built childcare facility, community and cultural space, landscaped courtyards, as well as cycle and pedestrian linkages to Coultry Park, and amenities to support positive neighbourhood living. Cairn is the proposed construction partner for this project.

This is a housing project of strategic importance to Tuath and Dublin City Council, focused not only on increasing much-needed supply in Dublin, but on strengthening community continuity by enabling families to grow and thrive locally.