Smaller apartments and weaker planning rules sound like progress—but at what cost to your quality of life? Here’s what’s changing and why it matters for Clonskeagh residents.
Proposed Changes
The County Development Plan 2022-2028 is being changed after a direction from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
These changes aim to:
- Make the planning rules more similar across the country.
- Speed up the building of new apartments.
The new Plan will include looser rules for apartment building, such as:
- Smaller minimum apartment sizes.
- More flexibility in the mix of apartment types.
This means Council planners will use these new, more relaxed rules when they look at new planning applications.
What is the Association worried about?
In its submission, the Association said it is worried that most new apartments will be studios or one-bedroom units.
We want to make sure that new homes are liveable.
By liveable, we mean homes and neighbourhoods that support people’s wellbeing, including:
- Good build quality.
- Good roads, paths and other infrastructure.
- Reliable public transport and safe walking routes.
- Reliable utilities such as water, electricity and broadband.
- Clean air and a good environment.
- A strong sense of community.
- Local jobs and a healthy local economy.
- Good schools and education services.
We demanded the Council keep to its own commitment to ensure liveability in new developments.
Public transport in Clonskeagh
The Association highlighted that public transport in Clonskeagh is already poor.
- Most of Clonskeagh is more than 1 kilometre walking distance from a LUAS stop
- The LUAS Green Line is already at capacity during the day
- The Number 11 and 44 bus services are due to be replaced by the new Number 86, 87 and 88 buses
- These new bus services will be less frequent on Clonskeagh Road and Dundrum Road.
- Clonskeagh public transport users will try to board a bus or LUAS tram mid-route, only to find it is full already and they have to wait for a later bus or tram.
This will make Clonskeagh feel further away from its natural work and shopping centres:
- Dundrum
- Sandyford and
- The City Centre.
Pressure on the LUAS Green Line
The Association pointed out that the LUAS Green Line is already very busy.
A Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) official recently said its capacity is “OK for the short term”.
However, the more new homes and jobs expected along the Green Line will add much pressure.
This includes local developments such as Dundrum Central and Mount St Mary’s, which together will bring about 2,600 new residents to the area.
We are worried the LUAS will not cope without serious upgrades. It will take some time to deliver these upgrades.
What happens next?
We are waiting for the approved version of the revised County Development Plan.
When it is published, the Association hopes to meet the County Council and other bodies.
Our aims are to:
- Discuss parking and planning issues in detail.
- Push for improvements to transport and liveability in Clonskeagh.
- Secure positive changes for our local area.
We will keep residents updated through our website and future blog posts.