We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
LOCALS IN RAHENY and Clontarf who objected to plans for a development of almost 400 houses at a site adjacent to St Anne’s Park are to be given back fees paid to Dublin City Council, after the developer made a clerical error on the planning application.
New Generation Homes’ contentious plan to build 381 houses at the site fell at the first hurdle this week, after it emerged the wrong name had been used in the application to the local authority.
‘Crekav Landbank Developments Ltd.’ was entered on the bid, instead of ‘Crekav Landbank Investments Ltd.’.
The Council found:
“As the applicant stated is not considered a legal entity the application does not comply with Article 22 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended). The application is therefore considered invalid.”
New Generation Homes confirmed on Thursday evening that the application would be re-submitted.
However, in the meantime, anyone who objected to the development will have their €20 observation fee returned.
They’re being told they can make use of the fee again if they want to object to next application submitted by the developer.
This letter is being sent out by the Council:
The site in question encompasses playing pitches that were owned by the Vincentian secondary school St. Paul’s College, but which were sold earlier this year to New Generation Homes. It’s proposed a dedicated all-weather floodlit sports field for the school and a new sports hall would also be built.
There has been widespread public opposition to the plans from locals in the area, and an I Love St. Anne’s campaign has been launched online to encourage people to lodge their own objections to the scheme.
Minister and local Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is amongst those opposed to it. The Dublin Bay North deputy said last week the plan was in breach of zoning regulations and that a development of this type was “excessive”.
New Generation Homes contends that the all-weather pitches and sports hall will be a resource for the community – however Ó Ríordáin argued in his letter to planning regulators that they “would not be fully accessible and open to the public”.
Strange how the State can throw out a planning application for one company who made a mistake in their name yet award a multi million Euro contract to another which doesn’t exist.
Thousands of new homes urgently needed in Dublin and the Nimbies oh so busy in posh Clontarf.
Are you suggesting that just because residents of Clontarf are wealthy they are not entitled to have a say in how their area is developed?,,,, or are you just envious of them and that you don’t live there !!
Don’t fancy living there if there’s going to be 10% or 20% of those houses earmarked for Social Housing, that’s about 30 to 60 houses in the development.
Would you rather a 100% Social housing slum like in the past? Or one in every 10 houses a SH ? Mixing in is better
In the gccc form of contract, a joint venture company can be set legally up once the tender has been successful
Have to disagree with the “mixing is better” philosophy. People who get houses for next to nothing have a different outlook and appreciation of the area they live in compared to people who pay full whack for their houses.
Bullplop! There are corpo and council estates all over the country full of decent people and their families. We were raised as well as anyone with a mortgage and looked after our homes well. Some of us have mortgages now, some of us are public housing tenants. The estates aren’t feral ghettos, they’re our family homes.
Of course there are corpo and council estates all over the country. I’m sure there are a handful of decent people and families living in them.
However, it doesn’t take much for someone to come to a conclusion about which estate is corpo/council and which ones are mortgaged hence my opinion on different levels of appreciation shown by certain people.
This is a park and it is residents from all areas surrounding the park that are objecting not just Clontarf , get informed.
Doesn’t exactly inspire you with confidence about the building quality if they can’t even get their own name right.
So those who objected now have to go to the hassle all over again?! Some people might not bother a second time around. Thus could be a tactic by the developer
Destroying your own credibility doesn’t seem to be the smartest tactic I’ve ever heard of. Not everything is a conspiracy.
Larry when money is involved anything is possible.
I suppose it’s the difference between what’s possible and what’s probable Phil.
Good answer Larry. To be honest I haven’t a clue what’s going on here with this failed housing scheme.
This is fairly typical of Councils in this country. Could they not have just fined the developer for the error instead of making everyone go through the entire process all over again? It’s not like crucial information about the project was ommitted or mispresented.
This is a good example red tape in full flow wasting both the developers and residents time and money.
Architect in trouble on this one, they usually fill out the application forms… Bad day in the office for someone…
I wonder who is behind the development.?
Some secretive, ex Namae, Phoenix like risen from the ashes and now resident in the Seychelles.?
Or just McNamara.?
This story doesnt add up…the Council couldn’t accept any objections (including fees etc) until the planning application was deemed to be valid!
Incompetent
The looks like a minor typographical error that could happen to anyone. Now watch the Twitter users start shaking with rage in a sea of their own froth and calling for everyone, everywhere to be sacked, jailed then hung, drawn and quartered.
They really must have FA to do all day in Clontarf. I’d imagine the serial objecting to everything takes quite a bit of time. And of course a TD will support whatever the latest whinge is.
Planning is another farcical process here in Ireland. I know some people who have had to make 6/7 objections at E20 a go to stop a developer building a house almost on top of their own house. The EU threatened the Irish Gov years ago regarding charging people for making a planning objection.
Here it is, 2003, not sure what ever came of it
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/eu-case-against-ireland-over-fees-for-planning-objections-1.367041
I’m sure this had nothing to do with the intervention of the Minister.
have your say