Re. Submission on 310327: Former O’Devaney Gardens Site and lands previously part of St. Bricin’s Military Hospital, Dublin 7.

Dear Madam/Sir,

I welcome the proposal to develop the the O’Devaney lands, but ask that the Board use Planning Conditions to address my concerns as stated below: I request that you consider the following issues before you proceed further with the proposal.

1.  I understand that the housing mix will be 50% social and affordable; 30% cost rental and 20% private housing. Clearly many of these units will be lived in by families, some with several young children. I don’t believe it is appropriate to house families with children above the sixth floor. Children will wish to play outside, and it is crucial that parents or guardians can hear and see their children when they are outside. This can be difficult if there are family homes are above the sixth floor. I therefore don’t believe that family units should be located above the sixth-floor level.

2.  I believe that many of the buildings are too high for this location and will prevent adjoining streets in Stoneybatter such as Ashford Street, Arklow Street, Thor Place, Finn Street and Oxmantown Road from receiving evening sunlight in the Winter months. I therefore believe the overall building heights should be lowered.

3.  I am concerned at the significant densification of the proposal since its first iteration. I believe the internal courtyards are too small and will be damp and lacking in sunlight. I recommend that the Inspector compare the proposed courtyards with those in Dublin City Council’s Wolfe Tone Court off Jervis Street in the city centre, where the bulk of residential units are well lit by natural daylight and sunlight. The Inspector should consider planning conditions to enlarge the proposed courtyards.

4.  I am concerned at the preponderance of single aspect homes within the development. As we emerge from the Pandemic, we must ensure that dwellings receive adequate ventilation and daylight. I am not convinced that this development manages to achieve this.

5.  I was unable to access the landscaping drawings, but they appear to be too favourable to speeding motorised vehicles, and Planning Conditions to revise this should be informed by best practice from the revised Design Manual for Urban Streets and Roads.

I wish you well in your consideration of this development and look forward to the further development of these lands.

Sincerely,

Ciarán Cuffe

Ciarán CUFFE, MEP for Dublin

A link to the submission can be found here.