John Gormley

Dublin City Council are currently drafting a Local Area Plan for Ballsbridge. They have invited submissions from the public in advance of drawing up the draft plan. I made a brief submission to this pre-draft stage, which you can read below.

Niamh Lambert
Administrative Officer
Planning and Development Department
Dublin City Council
Civic Offices
Wood Quay
Dublin 8

3 October 2006

Dear Ms Lambert,

Re: Pre-draft submission on proposed Ballsbridge Local Area Plan

I wish to make a brief submission on the proposal to draft a Local Area Plan for Ballsbridge.

Status of plan
The draft plan should include an explicit statement that, while in draft form, it does not have any status in respect of decisions on planning applications within the area.

Dublin City Council recently granted permission to a major development on the Poolbeg peninsula, on the basis that it was in line with the draft Poolbeg Framework Plan. This plan has never been adopted by the City Council, and has been heavily criticised by the public during the consultation period. It is my view that the draft plan should never have been treated as a relevant policy document in respect of this application, and I await a decision of An Bord Pleanála on this case. For the avoidance of doubt, the draft Ballsbridge Local Area Plan should explicitly disclaim any status as a policy document until it is properly adopted by the City Council, after additional public consultation.

Transport
The Plan should make appropriate provision for public transport improvements. I agree with the statement in the proposal for the plan that “a major focus of the LAP should be on developing a better balance between the various modes of transport and promoting more sustainable forms of public transport, cycling and walking.” In order to achieve this objective, the plan should set standards for the type of development which may be allowed. For example, an enclosed shopping centre would encourage the use of private cars, which is undesirable.

Green space, natural amenity and public realm
The green spaces and playing fields in the Ballsbridge area are an amenity for the whole city, and must be preserved in any Local Area Plan. The Plan should ensure that any new development does not adversely affect the amenity value of these open spaces.

In particular the objective of enhancing and preserving the Dodder Linear Park must be pursued. The plan should also identify opportunities for additional amenities such as playgrounds.

Urban design and development standards
The development of key sites such as Jury’s and the former Veterinary College will obviously have a huge impact on the nature and character of the area. I think it is important that the Plan sets strict development standards so that any new development is complementary to the existing natural and built environment.

In particular, standards for the accessibility and permeability of new developments should be set. Any new retail development should be “street-based” rather than enclosed, to allow pedestrians to permeate throughout, and form linkages with other parts of the area. The highest standards of urban design must also be sought.

Conclusion
I trust you will take these points on board in the drafting of the Local Area Plan. I look forward to seeing the proposals and commenting further.

Yours sincerely,

John Gormley TD
Green Party Chairman

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