2 Auburn Terrace, Sunday’s Well Road, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath Phone: +353 (0) 44 9310210 Fax: +353 (0) 44 9310211 SUBMISSION ON DRAFT FINGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2023 For Lands at Scribblestown, Ashtown, Dublin 15 Objective of Submission: To highlight the available strategic land resource to assist in the delivery of a planned settlement approach befitting of the lands location and proximity to the capital city with available infrastructure. The subject lands represent, in association with neighbouring lands, a much needed and significant land resource to deliver the required housing for a more sustainable ‘compact city’ approach to development and where a housing shortage is currently evident. Prepared on behalf of: By: The Planning Partnership Versonwood Ltd 2 Auburn Terrace Sunday’s Well Road c/o Duff & Phelps (Ireland) Ltd Mullingar Molyneaux House Co. Westmeath Bride St. Dublin 8 Tel: 044 9310210 Fax: 044 9310211 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.theplanningpartnership.ie The Planning Partnership - Registered Trading Name of B.E.F. Planning International Ltd. Registered Office: 2 Auburn Terrace, Sunday’s Well Road, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath Directors: Mark Brindley (UK), Wessel Vosloo Registered in Ireland Company No. 501130 Email: [email protected] Web: www.theplanningpartnership.ie THE PLANNING PARTNERSHIP FOR VERSONWOOD C/O DUFF & PHELPS TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 SITE LOCATION 2.1 Transport 2.2 Amenity 2.3 Infrastructure 3.0 STRATEGIC OVERVIEW 4.0 CURRENT FINGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2011-2017 5.0 STRATEGIC POLICY 5.1 Planning Policy Statement 2015 5.1.1 Key Priorities – Quality in Planning Outcomes 5.2 National Spatial Strategy (NSS) 5.3 Regional Planning Guidelines 6.0 FINGAL SETTLEMENT STRATEGY 6.1 Dublin City Settlement Strategy 6.2 Relevant Policies from Dublin City Development Plan 6.2.1 Consistency with Regional Policy 6.2.2 The Strategic Approach 6.2.3 Making a more Compact Sustainable City 6.2.4 Infrastructural Challenges 6.3 Pelletstown 6.3.1 Pelletstown Local Area Plan 2014 6.3.2 Development Plan Strategic Guidance - Key Developing Area (KDA) 6.3.3 Pelletstown Strategic Development and Regeneration Area 7.0 STRATEGY FOR EXPANSION IN FINGAL 7.1 Changes Sought to Fingal County Development Plan 8.0 CONCLUSION List of Figures Figure 2.1 Dublin Sewer Map Figure 2.2 Regional Infrastructure Figure 3.1 Lands within M50 under the control of Fingal Co.Co. Figure 7.1 Fingal Core Strategy Map DRAFT FINGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2023 2 SUBMISSION – LANDS AT SCRIBBLESTOWN, DUBLIN 15 THE PLANNING PARTNERSHIP FOR VERSONWOOD C/O DUFF & PHELPS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The lands at Scribblestown, Dublin 15 that are the subject of this submission are strategically located lands in the context of the expansion of Dublin City. They are in close proximity to: Rail and road public transport services. Roads infrastructure Expanding wastewater services Public amenity facilities Established and newly forming communities The lands are situated approximately 5km northwest of Dublin City Centre and are approximately 8km south of Dublin Airport. The wider land bank that the lands are situated in is one of the largest undeveloped land banks in close proximity to Dublin City Centre. While the subject lands and the wider area are within the M50 ring and are considered to be in Dublin City, they are under the administrative control of Fingal County Council. In the preparation of the Draft Development Plan 2017-2023 Fingal County Council have followed the strategic planning guidance set out in the Regional Planning Guidelines document. This regional policy advises Local Authorities to set out a settlement hierarchy for the County and to zone land to cater for expansion. Fingal have focussed their development around their designated centres with Blanchardstown and Swords at the top of their settlement hierarchy and zoned lands around these settlements. They have also zoned a land bank of 221 ha at Lissenhall, Swords for future development. This outcome to an extent represents the inefficient use of existing and proposed infrastructure within the ‘Dublin City’ Region. It fails to take cognisance of the policies of the Dublin City Development Plan, the adjoining authority, which seeks to expand in a high density compact form and further rescinds the opportunity to work in tandem with an adjoining Local Authority to achieve a common objective in line with the strategic guidance of the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly, as encompassing the former Greater Dublin Regional Authority. It is submitted that Dublin City lands, including the subject lands, should be at the top of the settlement hierarchy for Fingal County Council. This step would allow Fingal County Council to zone lands to facilitate the expansion of Dublin City as settlement at the fringe of Fingal County. The prioritisation of the development of these lands is justified due to their proximity to existing physical and transport infrastructure and their potential to create sustainable development to facilitate the expansion of the compact city form currently advocated by Dublin City Council planning policy. The evidence of the compact city reaching its outer limit is immediately apparent at Pelletstown which adjoins Scribblestown to the south west. It is further submitted that the current zoning of the lands for recreation and open space is not wholly justified firstly because the subject lands can be serviced and made ready for development and secondly because there is already a sufficient quantum of recreation and amenity space in the vicinity of the lands in this area. It is therefore submitted that there would not be a negative impact on recreation and amenity in the area if residential development was to take place. In view of the above it is submitted that steps need to be taken to amend the Fingal settlement hierarchy and to prepare a masterplan or local area plan for the subject lands and the wider area during the period of the next Development Plan 2017-2023 to ensure their sequential release for development in the short to medium term and inevitably to assist in the shortage of housing in the Dublin area. DRAFT FINGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2023 3 SUBMISSION – LANDS AT SCRIBBLESTOWN, DUBLIN 15 THE PLANNING PARTNERSHIP FOR VERSONWOOD C/O DUFF & PHELPS 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Planning Partnership on behalf of our clients Versonwood Ltd, c/o Duff & Phelps (Ireland) Ltd., have prepared this submission to the Draft Fingal County Development Plan 2017-2023. Whilst the submission concerns lands (circa 40 hectares) within our Clients ownership that are located at Scribblestown, nr. Ashtown, Dublin 15 it also relates to a larger strategic landmass principally surrounding the lands outlined in red on the extract from the Zoning Map on the cover page and above. 2.0 SITE LOCATION The lands are located at Scribblestown and Dunsink approximately 5km northwest of Dublin City Centre. The lands are enclosed by the M50 motorway to the northwest. The district of Finglas is situated to the east with Pelletstown and Castleknock to the south. The lands are also in proximity to Blanchardstown to the west on the far side of the M50. The lands are approximately 38 hectares in area. 2.2 Amenity There is an amenity/ parkland corridor running east-west to the south of the lands through the Tolka Valley. The parkland is landscaped and maintained at Pelletstown but becomes more wild and unmaintained as you approach Scribblestown. There is definite scope to continue to formalise the landscape and accessibility to the Tolka Valley Park at the Scribblestown end, for an amenity parkland to provide residential amenity to communities on both sides of the river valley. 2.1 Transport There is a public transport corridor running east west to the south of the lands formed by the Maynooth commuter railway line. There is also a Quality Bus Corridor which runs to Blanchardstown running along this axis. There is a long term objective to develop a Metro Line called Metro West running south-north to the west of the site on the west side of the M50 with a station at Tolka Valley. The lands are less than a kilometre from the Blanchardstown M50 interchange providing good access to many parts of the city and outlying areas including Dublin Airport (8km away) and suburban areas including Swords and Blanchardstown. The former Dunsink Landfill is located to the north of the lands. It is understood that these lands are in the ownership of Fingal County Council. It is noted that there is an objective in the current Fingal Development Plan to develop a DRAFT FINGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2023 4 SUBMISSION – LANDS AT SCRIBBLESTOWN, DUBLIN 15 THE PLANNING PARTNERSHIP FOR VERSONWOOD C/O DUFF & PHELPS Regional Park at this location. It is submitted that these lands have the potential to serve as a community amenity area 2.3 Infrastructure accessible to both the subject lands and the district of Finglas to the north and east. The Greater Dublin Drainage project aims to provide extra wastewater treatment capacity for the Dublin region. The route of the Orbital sewer that is part of this project runs to the northwest of the lands at Scribblestown. Irish Water is managing the planning stages of the Greater Dublin Drainage project which involves the preparation of a planning application to be submitted towards the end of 2016 to the independent planning authority, An Bord Pleanala for its adjudication. The lands are also in close proximity to the 9C Trunk Sewer which runs west east to the south of the site terminating at Ringsend Wastewater treatment plant. Figure:2.1 Dublin Sewer Map Elmgreen Golf Course is located to the west of the subject lands and constitutes a fully operational semi-private amenity Source: Greater Dublin Drainage Project space in the neighbourhood.