Commercial Property

An Bord Pleanala approves Stoneybatter student development

Scheme will have 600 student beds, apartments, supermarket and cafes

An artist’s impression of the proposed development on Prussia Street.

Sean McCárthaigh
Fri Jul 2 2021 - 16:20

An Bord Pleanála has approved the demolition of the Park Shopping Centre in Stoneybatter in Dublin to provide for a major residential development including almost 600 student bed spaces as well as a new district shopping centre.

The board has granted planning permission to the owners of the shopping centre to develop two large apartment blocks up to eight storeys in height which will provide 578 student bed spaces and 29 build-to-rent apartments as well as a shopping centre with a supermarket, two cafes/restaurants and 11 other retail units.

The current shopping centre, which was built in 1984, has a Tesco supermarket as the anchor tenant as well as about 15 other shops.

Planning process

The application by Park Shopping Centre to redevelop the 1.2 hectare site on Prussia Street was approved under the fast-track planning process for strategic housing developments.

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The plans also provide for a new pedestrian and cycle path connecting Prussia Street with the Technical University Dublin campus at Grangegorman.

The company had secured approval for a similar development without the build-to-rent housing element in 2017.

Subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, the board said the proposed development would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or local properties.

It said the plans were also acceptable in terms of urban design, height and scale as well as in relation to traffic and pedestrian safety.

It also reduced the number of student bed spaces approved by six from the original figure of 584.

The board acknowledged that the development materially contravened the current Dublin City Development Plan in terms of building height limits.

However, it said planning permission for the project was justified on the basis that it delivered on Government policy of increasing housing supply.

Submission

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald in a joint submission with one of the party’s local councillors, Janice Boylan, claimed there was a lack of community support for the development.

They claimed the height of the student accommodation buildings would “engulf” residents living in St Joseph’s Place, while also expressing concern about job losses and disruption during the construction phase.

Local Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan in a submission with two of the party’s councillors, Janet Horner and Darcy Lonergan, claimed the proposal represented over-development of the site, although they said “an efficient” redevelopment of the site would be welcome.

Dublin City Council supported the redevelopment of the shopping centre and claimed the overall plans were acceptable but claimed further tree planting and greening of the Prussia Street area was required.

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