A bid by a firm tied to developer Johnny Ronan to construct two padel ball courts for the public for Spencer Dock in Dublin 1 has failed.
Dublin City Council refused a temporary five year planning permission to Mr Ronan’s Ashwalk Ltd after the intervention of the National Transport Authority (NTA) which objected to the proposal for the south west corner of Sheriff Street Upper and Abercorn Road.
In its objection, the NTA told the council that last July, CIE was granted planning consent for the development of Dart+ West.
The NTA states that the proposed padel ball courts site is subject to an approved compulsory purchase order within the approved railway order works plan and the lands are required to build the approved Spencer Dock Station.
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NTA head of strategic planning Michael MacAree said the planning report lodged with the application stated that the development of Dart+ West is targeted for 2030.
“This is not the case and it is intended to proceed promptly with the delivery of this project in the short term,” he said.
He said that given the conflict between the proposed development and the approved Dart+ West project, the NTA recommends that permission is refused.
In the refusal, the council concluded that it would be premature to develop the lands, including temporarily, in the interests of protecting and facilitating the development of Dart+ West.
The council planner’s report stated that it was generally supportive of the temporary permission but for the Dart+ West issue.
An associate at Tom Phillips + Associates, Brian Minogue, told the council that the application presents a planning gain opportunity for Dublin City in advance of the beginning of works on the Spencer Dock Station.
He said that the rationale behind the application is that Ashwalk “wants to provide a space that improves the amenity of the otherwise dormant site, to serve the public in North Lotts, City Centre and beyond”.
Mr Minogue said that if it is the case that the Dart+ West project commences during the lifetime of the temporary permission, the temporary structures can be removed by the site management company, Libra Living.
Mr Minogue said that the alternative to the padel ball court permission “is that the existing site remains a restricted visual detractment for the medium-long future pending construction of the Dart+ West Spencer Dock Station expected to commence in 2030 “.
He said that given the current vacant industrial character of the site it may attract anti-social activity due to low levels of active and passive surveillance in particular during evening hours.
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