The Green Party has welcomed An Bord Pleanála’s refusal of planning permission for a proposed hotel in the Green Belt between Baldoyle and Portmarnock.

Green Party Councillor David Healy (Fingal County Council – Howth), with support from local Green, Fine Gael and Labour Councillors, had appealed Fingal County Council’s decision to grant permission for the proposed hotel on Moyne Road.

The Board upheld Cllr. Healy and his colleagues’ first ground of appeal which was that the development would conflict with the County Development Plan.

Commenting on the decision, Cllr. David Healy said that, “This decision is a victory in the latest battle for the protection of the Green Belt between Baldoyle and Portmarnock.  It is time now for the developer and Fingal County Council to get their act together and provide the public park, the Millennium Park as it was to be called, on this Green Belt for the benefit of the people living in the area already and also those to move in to the new development on both ends of the Green Belt.”
Background info:
The full text of the appeal submitted is at

http://www.davidhealy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemi

The reason given by An Bord Pleanála for its decision was as follows:
“The proposed development would be located on a limited site of 3.75
hectares within an area covered by the zoning objective "OS" in the
current Fingal County Development Plan, which seeks, "To preserve and
provide for open space and recreational amenities", where a hotel use
is neither listed as permitted or open for consideration and where only
community facilities and other recreational uses will be considered and
encouraged by the planning authority and recreational facilities/sports
clubs are permitted in principle.  The proposed hotel and leisure
complex would contravene the zoning objective for the area and would,
therefore, be contrary to the proper planning, and sustainable
development of the area.”