Dublin City Council has denied planning permission to Keith Craddock’s Granville Developments Ltd for a proposed three-storey residential building at Haddington Place, located behind the Sisters of the Holy Faith in Ballsbridge, reports Breaking News.
The refusal followed objections from the Department of Education and local residents in the D4 area, who opposed the 38-bedroom en suite development.
The council rejected the proposal, citing that the project would lead to excessive vehicle traffic on a narrow laneway, with the site being described as a restricted infill location, reports Breaking News.
According to the council, the proposed project “would, therefore, endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard and obstruction of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users”.
Officials noted that Haddington Place serves as an important route for pedestrians and cyclists accessing two nearby schools, and raised concerns that allowing this development could set an unwanted precedent for similar projects, reports Breaking News.
Another reason for the refusal was the lack of dedicated on-site car parking, which the council said would be significantly inadequate to meet the anticipated demand.
The city also highlighted that the development’s reliance on improvements to the public road along Haddington Place raised safety concerns for pedestrian access, reports Breaking News.
The planning authority stated that the proposal could compromise public safety due to potential traffic hazards, as it had not been sufficiently demonstrated that safe pedestrian access would be ensured.
Kevin Hughes, a planning consultant representing Granville Developments, had informed Dublin City Council that the development aimed to “provide residential accommodation and care to members of religious orders in need of care”, reports Breaking News.
He explained that the project “offers dedicated, supportive residential accommodation near existing religious properties, which is considered both appropriate and consistent with the policy of enabling people to age in place with dignity and independence”.
Mr Hughes also argued that the new development “will deliver a high-quality addition to the existing religious, educational, and community uses around the site, and would not detract from the visual or residential amenities of the area”.
However, in a submission of opposition, Susan McCarrick—representing the Pembroke Road Association—questioned the intended residents, noting that religious communities usually provide housing for their own retired members, reports Breaking News.
Ms McCarrick told the council, “that we are expected to accept and believe that there will be an unlimited supply of elderly nuns to take up residence is fanciful,” reports Breaking News.
She further remarked that “there are no views for residents to enjoy – just the back of other buildings. While the zoning is institutional, it does not have to be penitential”.
A total of 11 submissions were received by the Council, including one from the Department of Education, which revealed it had attempted to acquire the site “to safeguard it for future educational use but was ultimately outbid”, reports Breaking News.
Deirdre Maher, Assistant Principal Officer in the Department’s Forward Planning & Site Acquisitions section, said “the department regards the site as strategically important to the long-term provision of school facilities in the area”.
Calling on the council to reject the development, Ms Maher stated that it “is concerned that the loss of this site would undermine its ability to meet current and future educational needs in Dublin 4”, reports Breaking News.
She added that the land “represents one of the very few remaining opportunities to provide essential educational and community infrastructure in the locality, given the scarcity of available land”, reports Breaking News.
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