Dublin North West TD and co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall, said there is considerable disappointment and anger about An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for the Omni Strategic Housing Development (SHD).
Deputy Shortall said:
“A 12-storey, 324 apartment development is completely unsuitable for Santry and utterly out of sync with the character of the area. Granting yet another high-rise apartment block without proper infrastructure and amenities flies in the face of good planning and sustainable development.
“The SHD system which this development went through was introduced by Fine Gael and facilitated by Fianna Fáil in the Dáil. It effectively squeezes the public out and relegates the Council’s role in planning applications. It clearly prioritises landlords and developers at the expense of communities.
“This system, along with the relaxation of apartment standards and the lifting of height caps, has led to the overdevelopment of Santry.
“Minimum standards have now become the target for developers and it appears that the sky’s the limit for new buildings. We need a reversal of these regressive changes to the planning system, not more ad hoc developments which are little more than a means of extracting maximum profit from a site.
“It is clear from An Bord Pleanála’s inspector’s report that while the proposed development is acceptable in principle under its Z4 zoning, Dublin City Council has serious concerns regarding its height, scale and massing and impact on the changing character of Santry.
“Yet again, we see the recommendations of the local community, as well as the local planning authority, being overwritten by the board.”
September 8, 2020