Appeal hearings on €350m stadium begin

More than 50 appeals against planning permission for the €350 million redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium will be heard over the course of a two-week An Bord Pleanála hearing which starts in Dublin this morning.

Dublin City Council decided last August to grant planning permission to Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company (LRSDC) for the 50,000-seat stadium despite sustained opposition from many local residents.

The council attached 28 conditions to the granting of planning permission. However, these do not alter the height of the stadium, which at more than 48m was the subject of most objections made to the council.

Similar objections have been made on appeal to An Bord Pleanála by individuals and residents' groups, prompting the planning board to call the public hearing. Residents in O'Connell Gardens, a small estate bordering the site, say their houses will be left in darkness once the stadium is built.

Yvonne Yuen of the O'Connell Gardens Boundary Group said the LRSDC had ignored their concerns. "The lack of regard for the residents has been absolutely shocking. Our small two-storey houses will be completely overshadowed by this stadium nine times the size of them. They'll be like dinkies beside it."

The stadium design had a futuristic look which was completely out of character with the surrounding area, she said.

"It's going to look like a spaceship has landed in the suburbs. It's a monstrosity."

Residents were also concerned about the impact the construction phase would have on their quality of life, she said. "Once the demolition starts there will be no down time, they'll be working 12 hours a day Monday to Friday, and on Saturday, with 900 workers coming in and out every day. Our privacy will be completely invaded. There will be no concourse between our houses and the stadium, no buffer zone."

Local Labour councillor Dermot Lacey is in favour of the redevelopment, but says the residents of O'Connell Gardens have been unfairly treated.

"I'd like to see An Bord Pleanála include some degree of compensation for the residents in the planning permission - some people really will be living in darkness."

Mr Lacey has suggested that the LRSDC buy some of the houses but allow the residents to continue living in them.

The company has bought three houses in O'Connell Gardens which would not be habitable after the redevelopment.

However, it is understood that several other residents in the wider area surrounding the stadium are seeking to have LRSDC buy their houses at a price that would include compensation for the move.