Planning permission granted for new apartment scheme on site of Dublin's largest synagogue
Dublin City Council approved plans by developer, Granbrind Terenure Limited, for the construction of 60 apartments on a 0.54 site on Rathfarnham Road in Terenure that currently houses an Orthodox Jewish synagogue.
However, the scale of the development has been reduced by the company from its original plans for 66 apartments after serious concerns were raised by council planners.
The scheme will consist of three apartment blocks ranging from three to six storeys in height.
The developer claimed its plans strike a balance between minimising the impact of the development on neighbouring residents and securing a reasonable scale and density in line with national planning policy.
It had warned that any further reduction in the scale of the development would have made the project unviable.
Dublin City Council said the revised plans show the proposed development can be accommodated on the site without having an undue adverse impact on the residential amenities of nearby residents.
Among the conditions attached to the grant of planning permission is the requirement for Granbrind Terenure to make a development contribution of €618,495 to the council for public infrastructure benefitting the new apartment scheme.
The company is also required to make an additional contribution of €300,000 in lieu of meeting the requirement on the provision of public open space within the development.
The Terenure synagogue, which has a distinctive facade with five Stars of David above ten small square windows as well as stained glass windows of note, was designed by Irish architect Wilfred Cantwell and opened in 1953.
A garden to the front of the synagogue also contains a monument to victims of the Holocaust.
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The developer claimed the demolition of the synagogue is justified as the building is not suitable for reuse.
Another condition requires the developer to submit details for the approval of the local authority on the location and future reuse of items removed from the synagogue including the stained glass windows, memorial plaques and an outdoor memorial stone.
The Dublin Hebrew Congregation intends to close the synagogue, which will be demolished under the plans for the new apartment scheme together with a community hall and caretaker's lodge, and move to a more suitably sized facility in the area.
It pointed out that it now needs urgent work due to its poor condition, while also being too large for a declining Jewish congregation in the area.
A heritage assessment of the building noted it was 'an interesting, if somewhat eccentric structure' but stated some important features such as the stained glass windows, memorial plaques and bimah (altar) could be removed for possible use in any replacement synagogue.
Among objectors to the development were the Terenure Residents' Association, who described the scheme as 'excessive and unbalanced.'
The group's chairperson, Fionnuala Blake also expressed dismay that a landmark building 'with its deep social history would be lost.'
Consultants for Granbrind Terenure said the proposed apartment scheme would support the development of Terenure as 'a sustainable urban village through the development of a vibrant neighbourhood at this infill location.'
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