One of the country’s largest building firms has secured planning permission for a major new development that will provide almost 400 new homes in south Dublin.
An Bord Pleanála has approved the plans by Cairn Homes for the strategic housing development on over 16 hectares in Newcastle under the fast-track planning system.
The board rejected the recommendation of its own inspector that the plans for the homes — with a creche, commercial unit, and a public park — should be refused.
The project will consist of 248 houses, 36 duplexes and 36 apartments on the main site with 50 other units on three smaller sites at the corner of Burgage Street and Newcastle Boulevard.
The board ruled that an additional 26 houses originally proposed by Cairn Homes should be omitted from the scheme with their site instead developed as public open space.
The development will also reserve a site for a new school to serve the area.
The inspector had recommended that planning permission for the development should be refused on the ground of its adverse impact on biodiversity due to the removal of two large sections of 700-year old hedgerows as well as its negative impact on landscape and views.
The inspector claimed the loss of important medieval landscape features could have been avoided with “a more creative design”.
However, An Bord Pleanála said that subject to a number of planning conditions, the development was acceptable in terms of design, form, and layout.
The board said the retention of other sections of historic hedgerows and the reinstatement of other hedgerows would result in an overall increase in new landscaping and tree planting.