Proposed Hotel in Baldoyle Green Belt

  

The County Development Plan provides for what is called “an integrated tourism/recreational facility” in the green belt between Baldoyle and Portmarnock.  This term isn’t defined anywhere in the Plan.  However, the local area plan adopted in 200? by the Council provides for two such “facilities”, one on the Moyne Road.

 A planning application was made to Fingal for a hotel on the Moyne Road and was granted permission on the basis of this mention in the area plan.  This is entirely against the purposes of the green belt zoning in the area, and has no relationship to the park planned for the area.  It would not be accessible by public transport and would seriously damage the green belt.  My objection to the plan is attached.

                                                                                                54, Páirc Éabhóra,
                                                                                                Beann Éadair,
                                                                                                B.Á.C. 13
                                                                                                29th March 2005

Planning Department,
Fingal County Council,
County Hall,
Swords,
Co. Dublin

Re: F05A/0231  25-Feb-2005                             
Applicant: Ballymore Residential Ltd Fonthill House, Old Lucan Road, Palmerstown, Dublin 20
Location:          Mayne Townland, Baldoyle, Dublin 13

Proposed Development:            Development on a site of 3.75 hectares.  The development will consist of a hotel 4 storeys in height, plus a roof-top level restaurant with terrace; with three storeys of bedrooms containing 150 bedrooms over ground floor level bars, restaurants, meeting rooms; smokers terraces; spa, wellness and beauty facility; part ground floor mezzanine for administration offices; 2 storey sports centre with indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room; gymnasium and fitness facility with juice bar, dance studio, creche; snooker/billiard room; 2 no. square courts, floodlit outdoor artificial surface multi-use sports area, 2,304 square metres in extent, with 10no. 12 metre high light standards fitted with downlight luminaires; Conference;Banqueting facility for approximately 350 people; car parking for 311 cars; 3 no. bus parking bays; cycle parking and service access; walled entrance forecourt area, pools, terraced gardens, landscaping, garden pavilion and boundary treatments; plant enclosures, electricity substation; basement level swimming pool plant and keg store; underground surface water attenuation tank; and all associated ancillary works.  The development proposal provides for the construction of a new access road leading north from

Mayne Road

, providing vehicular access to the western side of the proposed development; and for carriageway realignment and local improvements at the proposed junction on Mayne Road to accommodate a right turning lane.

A chairde,

I wish to object to the above application on the following grounds:

1. The application is a material contravention of the current Development Plan.

It has been suggested that it is in compliance with a Local Area Plan or a Master Plan for the area.  It has also been suggested by my area colleague, Cllr. Maher, that these plans as produced do not correctly reflect the decisions of the councillors at the time.  However, I do not have a copy of such plans.  It is my understanding that, in law, neither of these can override the statutory Development Plan. 

This is not the location indicated in the Development Plan for an”integrated tourism/recreational complex (excluding housing component), public park and retirement home”.

In any event, the development applied for is not an “integrated tourism/recreateional complex.”  The application is essentially for a standard large hotel complex on a small site.  It does not meet the criteria for an integrated tourism/recreational complex set out at 3.6.4 of the Development Plan.

It would also be a material contravention of the draft Development Plan currently at the final stage of consideration, which states “only development relating to recreational activities to be permitted in the OS zoning between Portmarnock and Baldoyle.”

2. The application is at a location not served by public transport and not adjacent to developed areas.  It will give rise to considerable avoidable traffic generation. 

This also results in it being a contravention of the Development Plan.

3. The application is large and visually obtrusive in a designated sensitive landscape.

To allow such a large development in the middle of this green belt would destroy the visual break between Baldoyle and Portmarnock.  This also results in it being a contravention of the Development Plan.

4. The application will result in further surface water discharges to the overburdened Moyne catchement.  This leads to increased flooding risk and this also results in it being a contravention of the Development Plan.

I enclose, under protest, the €20 fee.  As you will be aware this fee is illegal under EU law as it is in breach of Directive 97/11 on Environmental Impact Assessment.  Please send a receipt and also make a note of this protest so as to refund the money when the anticipated ruling of the European Court of Justice is delivered.

Is mise, le meas,

David Healy