I have made observations on an application for 1,350 housing units at Belcamp. The area was to have a Local Area Plan but that requirement was irresponsibly removed from the Fingal Development Plan in 2023. I previously made a submission on an application on this site which was later withdrawn.

Although close to the existing urban area, this site, unlike most of the zoned land in Fingal, lacks easy access to public transport. Supplying public transport to the site is a central challenge which hasn’t been adequately addressed. An east-west route through the site should be protected for light rail, as I have argued since 2007.

I received a response on Friday 23rd to my queries of 9th January. It shows that important sites with permission for housing or zoned for housing have been omitted from the Settlement Capacity Audit. This includes 3 sites (Blanchardstown and Santry) with existing planning permissions amounting to 1511 units, and one Local Area Plan area (Kellystown) where the Council intends to seek Part 8 approval for the access road this year, with capacity for between 1000 and 1500 units.

A Variation to the County Development Plan has been proposed by the Council Executive and is out for public consultation until 29th January.

It is in response to a direction from Central Government to increase the housing targets for the County. It is proposing to bring forward the zoning of land at Dunsink which I strongly support. However, it also includes a number of scatterred rezoning proposals eating into the green belts around towns in Fingal, which have been established planning policies for decades.

The total additional zoning proposed would be for 5000 housing units, based on a Settlement Capacity Analysis which appears to have omitted some important sites zoned for housing including sites which have existing planning permissions. This is because the Settlement Capacity Analysis is based on the Residential Zoned Land Tax and land with existing permitted uses is excluded from the tax even if it has residential planning permissions.

I have written to the Council officials about the calculations, asking for some more details.

Subsequent to An Comisiún Pleanála reopening it’s consideration of the appeal on the demolition and replacement of Deer Park Hotel, I have made observations on additional submissions from the applicant, based on the three issues in my appeal: sustainability of demolition, pedestrian access, and the proposed additional road.

(Update 6th November: I have received the Development Pipeline Analysis commissioned from EY.)

Fingal’s Development Contribution Scheme is up for review. There are some significant decisions to be taken. I will be arguing for us to end an exemption which favours car parking over housing, and to do what we can to facilitate shared spaces, communal, social and cultural facilities.

A Development Contribution Scheme sets out the rate of development contribution levied on new developments to (partially) fund the infrastructure that enables the developments. A draft was brought to the full Council last week, but we didn’t have time to get into the details of it. It is based on an analysis by EY, which also hadn’t been circulated.

In addition to seeking the EY report and any other relevant background information, I have asked for answers to the following questions in order to prepare a response to the public consultation. I will make a more detailed submission when I have the necessary information.

My observation on Phase 1F of this development south of Station Road in Portmarnock focuses on the following:

• the urgent need to improve walking and cycling infrastructure in all directions from this area
• designing the new neighbourhood to prioritise walking and cycling, including by
  • clustering the car parking in one location
  • creating residential streets oriented towards walking and cycling rather than acting as car parking access routes
  • filtered permeability
  • designing residential streets which are shared between cycling and occasional vehicles rather than a separate cycletrack.
• not materially contravening the Fingal Development Plan limit on car parking
• providing for the childcare needs of the existing and future residents

An Coimisiún Pleanála have accepted that they should have circulated the applicant’s response to my planning appeal to me for comment and conceded the legal challenge I took against them.

They will now reconsider the file and enable me to make a submission on the applicant’s response to my appeal.

Background and details:

I have made the following response to the proposed parking bye-laws which the Executive of Fingal County Council has put on public display.

Legality
Part 19 of the Local Government Act 2001 includes the following provision:

s.199 (5) The approval of a draft bye-law, the consideration of submissions in relation to such draft bye-law and the making, amendment or revocation of a bye-law, are each reserved functions.

This draft bye-law hasn’t been brought to the Council for approval.