PLANNING:A HOUSING development proposed for the grounds of the Presentation Convent site on Terenure Road West, Dublin 6W, has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
Dublin City Council granted planning permission for the scheme of 32 houses and 15 apartments in January but Dublin developer Kimpton Vale hit the headlines in February when it was fined €1,000 in court for demolishing part of the 1860s former convent school on the site without planning permission. A few weeks before it was knocked, councillors had voted to put the convent on the list of recorded protected structures.
The 1.26-hectare site is on the northern side of Terenure Road West and is surrounded by private houses, including Mayfield Road and Eaton Square to the west and Corrib Road, Rathdown Court and Greenlea Place to the south.
In an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, John, Deirdre, Shane and Ciara Dunny, with an address at Mayfield Road, say their road will be the most affected by the development. They say a proposed pedestrian link into the development from their cul-de-sac, which is in a conservation area, will affect the amenity of the area.
Other concerns include a lack of public space, and private space for residents which they say is contrary to the Z12 zoning of the site “to ensure existing environmental amenities are protected in any future use of these lands”.
They also fear that visitors to the proposed development will park along their road and restricted access to and from Terenure Road West will pose a traffic hazard.
There was controversy when Dublin City Council failed to force Kimpton Vale to reinstate the Presentation Convent after the demolition.
After ignoring several orders to rebuild the 1860s building, the company, owned by Laurence Keegan, was prosecuted and fined. Kimpton Vale bought the convent and three acres on Terenure Road West for €15 million in April 2006.
