Residents Oppose Old Church Plan

PORTMARNOCK residents have called on Fingal planners to refuse a plan to develop the old church site in the village claiming the scheme is ‘too high and not in keeping with existing buildings’.

Local developer, Mannix Smith, has applied to Fingal County Council to provide a mixed use development at Strand Road, Portmarnock but the St Anne’s & District Residents Association has claimed the scheme is out of character with the area and will cause major traffic problems.

At a public meeting last Thursday night, the association also urged Portmarnock residents to lodge their objections to the scheme with Fingal council. Residents still have two weeks to lodge their objections.

Sample objection letters have been circulated to householders in the area, many of whom are elderly, and leaflets explaining residents’ concerns have been dropped into houses in Portmarnock village.

The residents association has also said it fears the precedent the four storey scheme will set for the old part of Portmarnock village, if it gets the go-ahead.

‘It’s overdevelopment of the site, it’s too high, traffic will be a nightmare and we’re concerned that the trees along Marnock’s Avenue will be removed’, claimed PRO of the St Anne’s association, Catherine McMahon.

‘This is an old area of mainly single storey, dormer and two storey houses. A four storey building will dwarf over the buildings. We’d be happy to see development of two or even three storey but just feel that four is too high.’

The site in question is located at Strand Road and is bounded by Strand Road, St Marnock’s Avenue, Church Road and a small green taken in charge by Fingal council.

Part of the site was sold by Fingal County Council to Mannix Smith last year. He paid €350,000 for the site.

St Anne’s Residents Association has said it intends to report Fingal council to the Ombudsman & Auditor General regarding the sale of the green.

The proposed development consists of a two and three storey residential and retail complex with additional feature penthouses on the corner of Strand Road and St Marnock’s Avenue all over a basement car park.

According to the planning application, the scheme is designed around a series of small block buildings clustered around a central courtyard, which will be a landscaped, sunny facing, pedestrian area.

Some 35 apartments are planned at ground, first, second and penthouse levels and each will have a private balcony or terrace.

By Eimear Cotter

29/03/06 Fingal Indedpendent