One appeal to €350m stadium plan

The €350 million redevelopment of the Lansdowne Road stadium in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by…

The €350 million redevelopment of the Lansdowne Road stadium in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by only one objector so far.

Dr Anne Twomey, who lives on Lansdowne Lane, is the only appellant to the redevelopment.

However, as the appeal period is due to elapse next Monday, it is likely there will be further submissions given the scale of local controversy over the proposed redevelopment works.

One of the main local concerns is the height of the new stadium, which would rise to 48.5 metres (160ft) and have a capacity of 50,000.

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The Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company Ltd (LRSDC) has said publicly that it hopes that construction on the stadium will begin early next year with a completion date in mid-2009, although this might be delayed pending a decision from An Bord Pleanála .

Among Dr Twomey's concerns is that the substantially increased height of the stadium will lead to loss of daylight to her property which is seven metres from the boundary of the stadium.

She also criticises the proposed use of Lansdowne Lane - "a narrow road with no footpaths" - as an access and egress point to the stadium.

As a consultant on call to a nearby hospital, she says her ability to reach the hospital in emergencies would be affected and asks that the lane should be retained for VIP and emergency access only.

She also asks that alternative arrangements should be put in place by the stadium operators "to enable residents to park elsewhere" when they are required to "not park outside their homes prior to an event to allow access of large trucks and team buses, etc".

Edel Morgan

Edel Morgan

Edel Morgan is Special Reports Editor of The Irish Times