SOCIAL AUDIT PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT STATION ROAD 5 October 2020. Client: Earlsfort Centre Developments.

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PMCA architects

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1.0 INTRODUCTION St. Annes Park This is the second largest public park The purpose of this report is to provide an audit of in the city of Dublin and stretches from Clontarf to the existing community and social facilities serving the south and Raheny Village to the north. The area the Raheny area. The report contains an audit of the of the park is 270 acres and provides extensive existing social infrastructure in the area relating to: sporting and recreational space as well as natural landscaped parkland providing high quality amenity • Open space and recreation space. The park is owned and managed by Dublin • Education City Council having been purchased in 1939. In • Transport addition to many playing fields for all types of team • Health and social services facilities sports there are numerous facilities located in the • Religious and Community facilities park such as St. Anne’s Tennis Courts, St.Annes and Remote Car Track, Childrens Playground, The Red • Retail and Business provision Stables Market and the Rose Garden.

These facilities are assessed in terms of their adequacy in light of the proposed Residential Development of 105 Apartments at Station Road, Raheny.

2.0 AREA CONTEXT

The site for the proposed development is located on Station Road, Raheny and is situated approximately 250 meters from the centre of St. Anne’s Park Raheny Village. The site is therefore adjacent to a major district centre serving a wide area of the Its proximity to Raheny Village and the proposed north city stretching from James Larkin Road along development make this a significant area of open the coast to and to the north. space which can be utilised and enjoyed by all age 1 groups for a wide range of activities. The area outside the Village Centre is characterised by predominantly low density two storey North Bull Island Bull Island is a large sand bar residential developments the majority of which which has developed in the northern end of Dublin were built in the last 30-50 years. These areas were Bay due to sand deposits. It has grown and initially poorly served by social and community developed over a number of centuries and provides infrastructure however over the decades the areas a unique recreational and natural wildlife facility have experienced a substantial improvement in the within the city confines. There are a number of provision of the much needed social, community recreational activities which the island provides, and recreational facilities. There is now a wide including beach swimming, wind surfing, golf clubs range of these services which are necessary for the and bird sanctuary. The island is also a significant realisation of a suitable social environment for area of natural open space which is within 2 km of individuals, families and communities to experience Raheny Village and is also suitable for walking, a proper standard of living. running and many other outdoor activities.

3.0 EXISTING COMMUNITY FACILITIES There are many other smaller and less formal open

spaces located throughout the surrounding area The audit consisted of a desktop analysis of the area including the following: surrounding the development site with Raheny as Edenmore Park, Santry River Linear Park, All its centre. Each of the sectors referred to in the Saints Park. Introduction are addressed below.

These are located close to the proposed Open Space development and provide local open space needs.

Recreation and open space are an important part of every community’s life. The study area includes a number of significant public open spaces which provide for many forms of recreation and sporting activity. These include:

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Sports and Recreational Facilities however the most proximate to the subject site are listed below: With the expansion of the Dublin city around and beyond Raheny in the 60’s and 70’s the newly Springdale National School, North Bay Educate settled population developed many sporting and Together Primary School, St. Benedicts and St. recreational facilities. The range of sporting Marys National School, Scoil Assam Boys National activities is wide and varied and the numerous School, Naiscoil Ide, Scoil Naomh Aine Boys and facilities are located throughout the study area. Girls Junior Infants, Scoil Eoin National School. The following is a list of sporting clubs which are active in the area: These are the various primary schools which are close to the centre of Raheny Village and provide a Raheny GAA Club, Raheny United Football Club, range of school options for residents in the Raheny Naomh Barrog GAA Club, Raheny Shamrocks area. Athletic Club, St. Malachys Football Club, Grange Secondary Schools Woodbine Football Club, Raheny Tennis Club, KUBS Basketball Club, St. Anne’s Tennis Courts. A variety of secondary schools, some of which are St. Anne’s Golf Club, Royal Dublin Golf Club, Bay long established, are located close to Raheny City Boxing Club Village as follows:

All of these are situated within a short distance of Manor House Girls Secondary School, St. Pauls the proposed development and provide a wide Boys Secondary School, Ardscoil le Salle, Donahies range of sporting and recreational facilities. Community School and further afield St. Marys Secondary School for Girls, St. Fintans Boys School, Education Santa Sabina Dominican College, Holy Faith Convent School, Pobailscoil Neaisain. Again as the population expanded in the 60’s and 70’s the demand for schools grew and the existing schools in the area were supplemented with numerous schools which are located close to the 2 subject site and provide a wide range of schools and education facilities. This section is divided into the following headings: 1. Pre-school/Creches 2. Primary 3. Secondary Schools 4. Third Level and Further education Pre-schools/Creches Ardscoil LaSalle

There are a number of private childcare facilities The area is well served by the existing school located in and around the subject site and Raheny institutions and as the age profile of the existing Village. These are as follows: community in and around Raheny gets older, additional population inflow which will result from It’s a Small World Montessori School, Home from the proposed development will ensure there is Home Creche, Parkmore Day Nursery, continued demand for school places in all of the the Foxfield Pre-School, Tir na nOg Creche, Edenmore different schools as those listed above. Early Education Centre Third Level and Further Education All of the above facilities are close to the proposed development and provide a wide range of services There are a number of further education for pre-school children institutions in close proximity to Raheny, however third level education facilities are located further Primary Schools away and the DART transport line facilitates access to Third Level Institutions which are located outside The Raheny district is well served with primary the area. In close proximity to Raheny are: schools all of which are close to the subject site. There are many other primary schools further afield

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Colaiste Dhulaigh College of Further Education number of cultural facilities in the immediate (CDCFE), Killester College of Further Education, proximity to Raheny SkillETB and further afield DCU University, Marino College. Raheny Library, Collette School of Irish Dancing, Olympus Dance and Music Academy, Artane Raheny is well served by public transport in the School of Music, Coolock Multiplex Cinema form of the DART service immediately opposite the development site while QBC bus service is provided along the main Howth Road at Raheny Village centre. This provides access to the city centre where many national Third level Educational Institutions are located. These include the following

Trinity College Dublin, DIT Colleges at Bolton Street, Kevin Street, Cathal Brugha Street, NCAD, Griffith College and many more Raheny Library

As can be seen from the above extensive list of Religious and Community Facilities educational facilities the area is very well served by good quality long established educational The area is well served by a number of churches and institutions, while a wide range of third level religious institutions serving various religious institutions is available by means of good public groups as follows transport networks. Church of Our Lady Mother of Divine Grace, St. Health Facilities and Social Services Benedicts Church, Church of John the Evangelist, All Saints Church, St. Brigid’s Church, Church of the There is a wide range of health and medical services Holy Trinity, Donaghmede, Manresa Jesuit Centre and institutions located in the areas surrounding of Spirituality Raheny, The Beaumont Hospital is a National Hospital with full A + E Department. which is within 3 5 km of Raheny Village. St. Joseph’s Hospital is in the centre of the Raheny area and serves as a local special hospital. In addition to these there are many other health facilities in the form of Health Centres, Medical Practises etc. and consequently the area is very well served in this regard. The following is a list of these facilities: Our Lady Mother of Divine Catholic Church St. Josephs Hospital, St. Francis Hospice, St. Gabriels Nursing Home, Beaumont Hospital, In addition to the above there are a number of Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital of Ireland, Community Centres and Nursing Homes for the Raheny Health Centre, Raheny Medical Centre, elderly serving the area which is listed below: Raheny Family Practise, River Holistic Centre, Raheny Physiotherapy, Raheny Dental Centre, Cara Hall Community Centre, Grange Woodbine Kilbarrack Dental Centre. Community Centre, Kilbarrack Community Centre, Raheny Community Nursing Unit, St. Gabriels Other more specialised facilities which are located Nursing Home, Garda Retirement Home, Sacred in the Village and surrounding areas which include Heart Residence Sybil Hill

Access Health and Fitness, Slender Health Gym, Retail Commercial Services The Yoga Lounge, Grange Gymnastics Club, Arabian Gymnastics Club The proposed development is located approximately 200 meters from the centre of Cultural Facilities Raheny Village, which is a district centre for the surrounding area as far as the James Larkin road Raheny is essentially a suburban area with a along the coast to Donaghmede and Coolock to the sprawling low density population. There are a north. The centre is based around the historic village of Raheny and has experienced substantial

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development in the recent decades. There is an the modern community to provide a suitable extensive range of retail outlets ranging from Super environment for contemporary human habitation. Valu Local Supermarket to special food and other retail outlets. The following is a representative list of the retail and commercial facilities located in and around the centre of Raheny Village:

Raheny Shopping Centre

4 Banks/Building Societies, Credit Union, 3 Supermarkets- Super Valu (Raheny) Centra (Edenmore), Tesco (Donaghmede), 6 Pharmacies, 2 Public Houses , a wide variety of specialist food outlets, newsagents and other retail/commercial outlets including, coffee shops, bakeries, take- always and local restaurants.

All of these are located in the centre of Raheny Village and are within a 2 minute walk from the proposed residential development at Station Road, Raheny. 4 There are also a number of professional businesses offering specialist services such as Legal and Accountancy Services among others. Currently the following numbers of professional offices represent the wide choice which is available in the Raheny area:

6 Solicitors Practises, 4 accountants Practises, 2 Insurance Brokers, Funeral Home

4.0 SUMMARY

Up to the end of the second World War Raheny was a quiet and distinct village situated in and predominantly surrounded by farmland. Since then the area surrounding Raheny has been developed as a large residential suburb of Dublin City as the population of the city grew and the need for new housing arose. At the outset these new areas were under-provided in terms of social and community facilities and as the communities became more established a greater range of facilities were established in the area in response to these new communities. In the decades since the area was developed as city suburbs new schools, community and health services were all developed and the area now is a highly developed community with the myriad of social and other infrastructure needed for

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