Heritage groups oppose land zoning

An Taisce and the Irish Georgian Society have objected to plans to zone large parts of the Airfield Estate in Dundrum for housing development.

In submissions to Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council, the two organisations also voice their opposition to the estate's plans to sell off some of its land, known as Dudley's Field, to developers. The county council has received more than 700 objections to the proposed residential zoning. A decision on the plan must be made by next Tuesday's final meeting.

The trust, which was set up in 1993 to administer the estate and wishes of the late Letitia and Naomi Overend, says it needs to sell the three acres of Dudley's Field to finance a redevelopment of the estate. It says it has no plans to sell any more land but wants residential zoning for much of the remaining land as a "contingency".

The Overend sisters lived most of their lives on the estate, which today embraces a farm and gardens, a restaurant, educational programmes and arts and crafts courses. The trust has assets of €12 million and is largely financed from €400,000 annual investment income.

In its submission, An Taisce says it is strongly opposed to the rezoning of Dudley's Field. "Even residential development on this land would contravene the wishes of the Overend sisters in their bequest to the people, and commercial and similar development here would threaten the whole integrity of the estate."

The organisation is also opposed to residential zoning for the southern part of the estate.

It says this would bring housing development within 200 metres of the Upper Kilmacud Road and would "totally defeat" the objectives of the Overends to have the estate used as a park for the use of the public. Residential development would "completely destroy" the southward vistas from the estate as well as leaving only a "rump" of open land to fulfil the objectives of the trust.

The Irish Georgian Society says the entire estate should be zoned open space to prevent any intensive development.

The trustees of Airfield have expressed regret that the issue has become a "political football". In a letter to local councillors, the chairman of the board of trustees, Mr John Edmondson, says several public representatives were put in an "impossible" position at a crowded meeting on the issue earlier this month. Mr Edmondson, says the views of the trust are "widely misunderstood" and he hopes the estate will raise €12 million from selling Dudley's Field.