Furious residents in south Dublin have lodged at least 300 planning objections to a proposed housing development at a former AIB sports ground in Terenure.
South Dublin County Council confirmed early yesterday afternoon that more than 300 objections had been received to the proposed seven-acre, 190-unit development at Fortfield Grove.
Mr Terry Coleman, chairman of an action committee formed by the joint College/Wainsfort and Fortfield/Templeville residents' associations, said he hoped the planning authorities "take up and note the level of opposition and anger" at the development.
It includes 48 houses, as well as apartments, duplexes and maisonettes and at least one of the apartment blocks would be five storeys high, said Mr Coleman.
The area was a two-storey area and only two-storey properties should be built. He said that residents realised the grounds would be developed and could accept two-storey units.
"If the developer built two-storey houses he could put in at least 140, instead of this monstrosity."
The council confirmed the receipt of a letter from residents with four main objections - the height of the proposed development, problems with a sewage pump station, increased traffic and the number of tress that would have to be knocked down.
Mr Coleman believed that in all, up to 500 objections were lodged at €20 each.
Yesterday alone he lodged 100 objections and 280 the day before, many on behalf of elderly residents in the community.The community had spent "the guts of €8,000" and this was "just the opening round", he said
"We have all paid €20 just to get to round two where it will cost €150 a pop to object to An Bórd Pleanála."
The chairman of the action committee said the site was a field on one side of which houses were valued in the region of €450,000 while on the other side they were worth about €850,000.
Some 80 per cent of the proposed development would exit onto a quiet cul-de-sac, the "more expensive" side of the field and that would push up the price per unit.
"There are trees, some of them 250 years old, that will be knocked down," Mr Coleman said. "There is a 160-year-old lime tree at the bottom of my garden and that will have to go because it will be in the middle of somebody's sitting room," he added.
The action committee had sent a number of leaflets to all residents in the area. One leaflet included information on how to contact local councillors and TDs to lobby them about what proposals they had to protect the neighbourhood.
