Locals oppose development plans for Dublin 6 site
River Dodder anglers and local residents are opposing plans by a Bain Capital backed firm to build student housing at the former Smurfit Paper Mills site at
Clonskeagh
in Dublin 6.
In the planning application lodged with Dublin City Council,
Bain Capital
vehicle, Harley Issuer DAC is seeking planning permission for the 439 bed spaces across five blocks from one storey to part seven storeys along with 16 residential apartments.
The Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) – located 1km northnorthwestCD's main campus at Belfield - also includes–the extension and renovation of 14 existing homes at Clonskeagh Road.
In an accompanying planning report by consultants, John Spain, it states that 'the scale of the proposed development is considered to integrate appropriately with its surroundings, whilst introducing increased height'.
READ MORE
[
Irish universities earned more than €830m from student housing since 2015
Opens in new window
]
However, in an objection against the scheme, the Dodder Anglers Association, which represents more than 1,300 members, states that it is very concerned the proposals 'could damage the biodiversity of River Dodder green/blue corridor and are in breach with Dublin city councils biodiversity action plan as well as the EU habitats direct and water Framework Directive'.
On behalf of the Eglinton Residents Association, Robin Mandal has hit out at what he believes to be 'a proposed gross over-development of this sensitive site'.
Mr Mandal said: 'we believe that the proposed development would constitute over-development of the site by virtue of its height, scale, bulk and massing at this sensitive and highly visible and sensitive site on the banks of the River Dodder
Mr Mandal contends that the student scheme's 'impact on the biodiversity and flora and fauna of the riparian setting will be profound, obliterating much of value'.
Mr Mandal said that the former Smurfit Paper Mills site 'has remained vacant and unused for more than 20 years'.
Chairwoman of the Richview Residents Association, Marion Cashman said: 'There have been seven planning applications on this site over 20 years. The number of units proposed ranged from 130 units in 2005 to the now proposed 440 student bedspaces and 30 residences.
Ms Cashman said: 'The current proposal is an overdevelopment of the site and would set an undesirable and unacceptable precedent for this sensitive location on the river Dodder and other such sites.'
The market for student accommodation provision in south Dublin is a lucrative one with University College Dublin (UCD) generating €42.8 million in 'rental income from student residences on campus' in the 12 months to the end of September last.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the State selling out of AIB: competition in banking is now the issue
The State's long withdrawal from the banking sector after the post-crash bail-outs has reached another milestone, with the sale of its remaining shareholding in AIB. Warrants, which give the State the right to buy some shares, are now likely to be effectively bought out by the bank. AIB will finally return completely to private hands. The direct financial cost to the State of the AIB bail-out was €20.8 billion and – including the cash for the warrants – the total amount returned over the years to the exchequer is likely to fall around €700 million short of this. While the return of the bulk of the funds is welcome, the total costs of the banking collapse to the State were, of course, much greater than the cash cost of bailing out these institutions. The banks were not solely responsible for the financial crash, but they were an important part of it. The tighter regulation, restructurings and restrictions on executive pay that followed were entirely appropriate. So was the bank levy, which should remain. With the pay cap in Bank of Ireland now lifted after its return to private ownership – even if a limit on bonuses remains in place – it was inevitable that the same would happen at AIB. In this context, there seemed little point in maintaining the pay cap at Permanent TSB, where the State still holds a 67 per cent stake. READ MORE With the two main banks now in private hands, State policy needs to focus not only on regulation but also on encouraging competition. As well as the financial and economic costs, the crash also led to the departure of a number of banks from Ireland – most notably Ulster Bank – severely limiting competition in many parts of the market, to the disadvantage of consumers. New entrants have provided competition in some areas, but often on a limited scale. The soaring profitability of the banks reflects not only the strength of the economy, but also their large market share. Their large deposit books remain a competitive asset. The more recent entrants to the market are welcome, but more is needed.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Carl O'Brien: ‘Third level's best kept secret?'
It sounds too good to be true: a route to a college degree with no need for CAO points and at a fraction of the cost. Tertiary degrees were announced in a blaze of publicity three years ago by then minister for higher education, Simon Harris They were, he said, a 'game-changer' and had the potential to lift the stress on students forced to compete in a highly competitive CAO points race for college places. Simon Harris after announcing tertiary degree programmes three years ago. 'With these courses I want to send a clear message to young people and their parents when considering options after school: you can be an engineer, a nurse, study business or work in ICT without ever having to worry about those archaic and stressful Leaving Cert points.' READ MORE A total of 38 tertiary degrees are on offer this year across business, ICT, arts, engineering, social sciences, early learning & care, agricultural science, sport, construction and nursing. Details on all courses and how to apply are available at the National Tertiary Office . What's the catch? The courses start in a further education course and then progress to the technological university. It means students a nominal cost at the start of the course and regular fees when it moves to university. Yet, three years into the operation of the initiative, the numbers taking part are fairly disappointing. A total of 152 students started courses during the first intake in 2023 across 14 different degrees. Last year the number climbed to 224 tertiary students. By comparison, the CAO this year received a record 83,000-plus applications, up from almost 77,000 last year. Slow take-off So, why haven't tertiary degree options caught the imagination of school leavers? One reason is that quite a number of degree for courses which weren't exactly in high demand in the CAO system The most popular tertiary degree routes so far are for courses in nursing. While it used to attract high points, it has fallen to between 340 and 420 points in recent years. Some tertiary courses have not had any participants. There are signs of change, however. University College Cork (UCC) is the first traditional university to offer tertiary degrees. One of its offerings is a BSc in occupational therapy, which had CAO entry points in excess of 500 points last year. More programmes are now being designed in partnership with industry to tackle skills shortages and equip students for careers in sectors that need them. Today's exams: Thousands of students were again completing Leaving Cert exams in Spanish and chemistry - both exams were broadly well received, but had their challenges. Up tomorrow: Physics (9.30-12mdday) and accounting (2-4.30pm) How are we doing? If you are a parent/ guardian of a Leaving Cert student, we'd love to hear from you. Maybe you have a personal story to share, have a burning question or want to comment on the exams, CAO and further education applications process. Please click the link below to send us your questions or feedback: ingCert
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Global markets fall as Israel-Iran conflict weighs on investor confidence
Global markets fell on Tuesday as Israel's conflict with Iran weighed on investor confidence. Dublin Euronext Dublin underperformed peers as it finished down 1.9 per cent on the back of some weakness in its bigger hitters. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, US president Donald Trump said pharmaceutical tariffs are coming 'very soon', which one trader suggested may have been a drag on the overall index. Bank of Ireland was down 3.5 per cent at close of business, while AIB traded about 3 per cent below its placing price after Minster for Finance Paschal Donohoe moved to sell taxpayers' remaining stake of about 2 per cent in the bank. READ MORE 'A lot of people were asking about that, and there had been an initial expectation the stock would trade better, but, unfortunately, given markets and banking stocks in general, that wasn't to be,' the trader said. Housebuilders were also weaker, with Glenveagh Properties and Cairn Homes down 1.5 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. 'That was in the context of UK housebuilders being weaker also, all down about 1-2 per cent,' the trader noted. Ryanair was an outperformer among airlines despite finishing down 1.5 per cent. EasyJet was down nearly 3 per cent, while Aer Lingus parent International Airlines Group was down 4 per cent. A trader linked the dip to rising oil prices due to the conflict in the Middle East. Elsewhere, Cavan-based insulation specialist Kingspan finished the day down 3.5 per cent. 'There was a decent bit of volume in that, and there is a seller around, so that's putting pressure on that one,' the trader said. London British equities ended lower in a broad-based sell-off, with hostilities between Israel and Iran weighing on market sentiment and focus on a slate of rate decisions from central banks including the Bank of England this week. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 0.4 per cent lower, with more than 70 per cent of its components clocking losses – though the index was still just a whisker away from its all-time highs. Heavyweight banks bore the brunt of the selling pressure, with top lenders HSBC, Standard Chartered and Barclays each down more than 1 per cent. Heavyweight energy gained 1.5 per cent with oil prices ticking higher due to tensions in the Middle East. BP and Shell added more than 1 per cent each as the top gainers on the blue-chip. British midcaps fell 0.2 per cent. A standout was construction company Morgan Sindall which jumped 14.6 per cent after saying it expects annual pretax profit to be significantly ahead of previous expectations. Europe Euro zone government bond yields edged up on, again impacted by high levels of uncertainty over the conflict in the Middle East. German 10-year yields, which serve as the benchmark for the euro area, rose 0.5 basis points to 2.54 per cent. Two-year Schatz yields climbed 2 basis points to 1.86 per cent. Among the markets, the Cac 40 in Paris closed down 0.8 per cent, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt gave up 1.1 per cent. The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.9 per cent. New York Wall Street indexes edged lower as Israel and Iran's air war, which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, raised concerns the conflict could create bottlenecks for oil exports from the oil-rich Middle East. US energy stocks rose as oil prices remained elevated on the uncertainty. Chevron was up 2.1 per cent and Exxon advanced 1.5 per cent. The surge in oil prices comes ahead of the Fed's monetary policy decision on Wednesday, when policymakers are widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged. Ten of the 11 major S&P 500 subsectors fell. Healthcare stocks dropped the most, with a nearly 1 per cent decline. On the flip side, energy stocks gained 1.2 per cent. – Additional reporting: Agencies
