Making an Observation to An Bord Pleanála on the Hammerson-Allianz SHD Plans for Dundrum Village

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In advance of the May 9th deadline for submissions (known as Observations) to An Bord Pleanála on the Hammerson-Allianz plans, Imagine Dundrum wrote a set of guidance notes to help individuals write their own submissions. You can read them here.

The only opportunity for groups and individuals to comment on this major Strategic Housing Development is by making a written observation (sometimes referred to as a submission or an objection) to An Board Pleanála before the deadline of 5.30 pm on Monday May 9th. All observations must be accompanied by a payment of €20*.

An observation can be a simple, short, hand-written note or a more complex detailed submission with plans, photos and reports.

All observations must contain the reference number 313220 or the development address – Old Dundrum Shopping Centre, Main Street, Dundrum – and your name and postal address.

Written observations
An observation can be hand-delivered or posted to An Bord Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 V902 accompanied by a cheque, Postal Order or bank draft for €20. (Cash and card payments are accepted at the counter for hand-delivered observations).

Online submission
If you are making an online submission, you should prepare your written observation document in advance (include your name and address). An Bord Pleanála have available an observation form that you might find useful – https://www.pleanala.ie/en-IE/Observation-on-a-SHD-Application-Public/Observation-(SHD)-Making-an-Observation scroll down and click on ‘observation form’ at the bottom of the page.

When you are ready to submit your online observation go to https://online.pleanala.ie/en-ie/housing/observation.

  1. Enter the reference number 313220 and upload your observation document.
  2. Click on ‘Next’
  3. Enter your name and Email address
  4. Click on ‘Next’
  5. If you are ready to submit select ‘yes’, select €20 fee, enter your card details (make sure the details are correct) and click ‘Finish and Pay’
  6. You will receive a confirmation message.

*The more observations made the better, but you can cut down the cost of the observation by sharing with two or three neighbours or friends.

Download our pdf guide here.

The Hammerson-Allianz Plans for Dundrum: Notice of Public Meeting and Drop-in Information Clinic

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The final Hammerson-Allianz plans for Dundrum Village were lodged with An Bord Pleanála (ABP) for planning permission on Tuesday April 5th, and can be seen at https://dundrumvillageSHD.ie/.

The public has only until MONDAY MAY 9TH to make observations (submissions) to ABP – the only opportunity to have your say on this development.

Imagine Dundrum is considering the plans in detail with the help of a planning consultant, and will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday April 27th 7.30 pm in Taney Parish Centre, and a drop-in advice/ information clinic to assist with submissions on Saturday April 30th, details to be announced.

IMAGINE DUNDRUM is strongly in favour of the redevelopment of Dundrum to revitalise our Village and provide much-needed homes. BUT WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED about these plans, which in no way match the vision of Dundrum’s future developed in consultation with the local community. Read Imagine Dundrum’s Proposals here.

WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Sign up to the Imagine Dundrum mailing list, contact your local Councillors and TDs, spread the word to friends and neighbours, make your own submission to An Bord Pleanála, and not least make a donation to support our campaign for the best possible future Dundrum.

All citizens in the wider local area, and those beyond it with ties to Dundrum, are encouraged to view the plans for themselves and make their voices heard by taking part in the planning process.

Hammerson-Allianz Plans: Imagine Dundrum’s Initial Statement of Concerns

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  • Lack of community engagement. Despite promises, and statements of a community-focused corporate ethos and commitment to place-making, the developer has failed to consult with the community in advance of lodging their plans.
  • Timing. The 5-week public consultation period from April 5th includes 2 weeks of the Easter break for schools and colleges, when many local people will be away.
    In addition, the plans were lodged only a very short time before the coming into force of the new Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan 2022-28 and in the absence of the long-awaited Local Area Plan for Dundrum, both of which contain strong protections for Dundrum Village itself.
  • An Bord Pleanála’s formal Opinion requires the developer’s initial proposals to be given “further consideration and amendment” if they are “to constitute a reasonable basis for an application for strategic housing development”. Have the plans lodged on April 5th significantly changed from the developer’s initial proposals?
  • Apparent over-riding of County Development Plans. The plans appear to ignore both Dundrum’s Major Town Centre zoning and the Special Local Objectives (SLOs) for the protection of Dundrum Village set down in the County Development Plans.
  • The height and design of new buildings on Main Street are of concern. How do these decisions and the choice of mainly 5-storey buildings respond to the County Development Plan’s requirement to respect the character and scale of the historic Village streetscape?
  • Destruction of Main Street heritage. How can the demolition of many of the existing buildings on Main Street (West) conform with their Architectural Conservation Area status granted in the County Development Plans?
  • Reduction in retail provision on Main Street. How can this contribute to revitalising the Street as a lively public space conducive to sociability and connection?
  • An almost entirely residential development. How can this provide the level of retail and non-residential provision appropriate to the long-standing Major Town Centre zoning of the Village, and the “civic, cultural and community “ facilities, spaces and services called for in the County Development Plan?
  • Overall height and density. Dundrum Village and its surroundings form a human- scale environment, and at first sight the heights and density planned for this small site are shocking. How can they be in accordance with the context of the immediate and medium-distance built environment and the need to provide sustainable housing for future generations?

In short, the developer’s vision of Main Street as a community and a built environment is radically different from the vision Imagine Dundrum has developed over the last five years in consultation with local people. Help us campaign for a future Dundrum which is recognisable and authentic, which is thriving and inclusive, and which is a place we all want to belong to. Watch this website, sign up to our mailing list, come to the public meeting on Wednesday April 27th, and make your submission TO An Bord Pleanála in good time!

The plans for Dundrum Village have gone live

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Here are the plans submitted by Hammerson-Allianz to An Bord Pleanála a few days ago: https://dundrumvillageshd.ie/

Have your say on plans for Dundrum Village

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We are attaching our newsletter with information on the initial proposal from Hammerson/Allianz for Dundrum Village.
A full planning application is expected imminently and as we have just five weeks to respond we want to ensure that this information reaches as many people as possible in the Dundrum area. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested.
As soon as we have further information we will forward to everyone on our mailing list. Anyone can join this list.

Read the full newsletter

Local community hopes for Dundrum: revisiting the 2017 community conversations

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In 2017, Imagine Dundrum hosted an Open Meeting, featuring “community conversations” among small groups of participants. They were asked three questions: ‘Why is Dundrum important to you?’, ‘What are the issues and what needs to change?’, and ‘Dundrum in the future – what would make it a really great place to live?’ In their answers to this question, local people expressed their wishes for the future of their Village, and imagined what it would look like. Will the Hammerson-Allianz proposals fulfil these hopes? Read what locals said here

 

1. Imagining a future Dundrum village area, redeveloped but still recognisably itself, and successful integrating old and new.

One person’s comment summed up a shared feeling that Dundrum must continue to be itself, even though in a new form. Despite the danger of the wrong outcome, Dundrum has the potential to

“return to being a real place people want to come to, not an artificial, commercial, high-rise, anonymous place, but somewhere green and nature- filled… A place to linger, rest, and relax. It can be vibrant and alive in its own right, not a …random street.”

Hopes for the future Dundrum included:

  • Put the heart back into Dundrum!
  • Dundrum should be alive!
  • It can be a flagship village with a green economy
  • Preserve Dundrum’s history and keep the character and scale of the village
  • Citizen input into the design
  • Unique, good architecture, attractive buildings, local materials
  • Public spaces well maintained
  • All areas connected
  • An improved civic and social focus
  • Make [it] a place in its own right, not a second Dundrum Town Centre!

2. Main Street – at the heart of the village

Many contributions concerned Dundrum’s Main Street, and there was strong agreement on the need to revivify it, while not destroying its unique character:

  • Bring life back to the street
  • [Dundrum needs] people living on the street
  • Keep the village ‘feel’
  • Link the pedestrians and the businesses on the street
  • Keep the integrity of the street
  • Create a continuous and more diverse streetscape, filling the gap where the old Shopping Centre car park is
  • Rehabilitate the area between the church and the (Barton Road junction) roundabout

Imagining what the Main Street could be, people suggested:

  • A pretty Main Street with cafes, independent shops, outdoor seating
  • The greening of the Main Street!
  • Mature trees all along the street
  • Reduce or eliminate traffic; minimise through traffic
  • Take down all the ugly shop fronts and restore the old houses
  • Traditional shop fronts
  • Wider footpaths
  • More refuse bins

3. Shopping on the Main Street and in the new development

The ideal expressed by many contributors was for a variety of small-scale, local businesses, including specialised and artisan-based shops as well as those providing practical necessities:

  • Bespoke small businesses
  • Small artisan shops, not just multiples
  • Encourage local businesses
  • Proper shops’, practical shops, not just coffee shops and clothes boutiques.
  • Hardware, greengrocers, haberdashery.

4. Getting around – thoughts on traffic, walking, cycling

In general, the hope was for a fresh and properly planned approach to moving around in Dundrum, which would prioritise walking and cycling, and plan for a major reduction in car parking in the village core:

  • A coherent traffic plan
  • A people-friendly, pedestrian-friendly place
  • A focus on cycling and walking
  • Off-street parking; underground parking; accessible parking

But when it came to specific suggestions, there could be opposing views:

  • High-level walkways linking parts of Dundrum, to help people move around
  • Underground connecting walkways
  • Pedestrianise the village! OR Don’t pedestrianise it – local businesses will suffer!

5. Facilities for children and young people; sports facilities

It was widely recognised that children’s and young people’s needs are not catered for in Dundrum at present, and that, in an area with so many young families, this major lack must be addressed. There were many suggestions:

  • Children need a playground
  • A skate park
  • Youth café (with pool tables)
  • Safe facilities for teenagers
  • Space for sports
  • Outdoor gym/ exercise equipment
  • Outdoor table tennis

6. Housing

There was considerable agreement that providing new housing in Dundrum would in itself substantially rejuvenate the Village area, as long as it was affordable housing mainly intended for families and older people:

  • Bring residents back into the village, especially families!
  • A village buzz, with people living there.
  • A range of accommodation, suitable for all ages including older people
  • 2 storey housing for families, not just high-rise apartments
  • Affordable housing and inclusivity
  • A balance between living and business

7. Environmental sustainability and ‘future-proofing’

The opportunities provided by such a major development, at a time when (unlike 2007/8) environmentally aware and sustainable building technologies are becoming mainstream, were emphasised by several contributors:

  • Dundrum could be a flagship green development
  • Future-proof Dundrum; respond to environmental concerns
  • [let’s have] green energy, a local energy co-op
  • Solar energy, selling electricity back to the grid

Many wanted a substantial planting programme to bring natural greenery back into the village:

  • Trees, green spaces
  • Trees please, and green rooftops
  • Landscaping, green rooftops

8. Arts, culture and creativity

The population of Dundrum now has the potential to support creativity in a range of arts and crafts, and would appreciate a museum of local history to local people could donate objects and documents about life in Dundrum many years ago:

  • An exhibition space
  • A crafts courtyard
  • Something like Design Yard idea
  • Street art (DLR County Council has funding for public art)
  • A museum of local history or a heritage centre
  • Commission music for the outdoor plaza

9. Public/ communal space

It was widely recognised that Dundrum has to date lacked open spaces and public seating, so the new development is the perfect opportunity to provide them, and create a much more enjoyable built environment which will strengthen social interaction:

  • We need communal space, indoors as well as outdoors
  • A central plaza which would be a meeting place
  • A large open plaza for markets etc
  • Somewhere just to sit, breathe, relax, linger
  • A civic space with seats, playgrounds, market place…
  • A bandstand (for music) and seating
  • An off-street community area with trees, seats, a fountain – visually interesting and safe.

10. A purpose-built civic and community centre

There was near-unanimous support for the demand for a new civic and community centre, which could also house cultural activities, in the new Dundrum.

  • Dundrum badly needs a civic and cultural centre
  • We need a proper civic centre, belonging to the community
  • A proper civic centre and community spaces
  • A civic/ community space as the focal point of the new development
  • We need significant public space for cultural and family activities

And, since much of this would have to be funded by the County Council, there was a practical suggestion, based on the strong case for a re-allocation of Council resources:

  • Use the revenue from Dundrum Town Centre! Other possibilities:
  • A kindergarten or small school – there’s a growing population of small children in the area
  • A hotel – a ‘bijou’ hotel with garden courtyard, catering for business travel, wedding receptions after local church ceremony, small conferences, and visitors to local residents
  • A new library
  • A grandstand/ bandstand with uses such as outdoor music, dancing and choirs at the annual Dundrum Festival

 

The Hammerson-Allianz Proposals: Do they match Imagine Dundrum’s vision for our Village?

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We list first some of the headline Hammerson-Allianz proposals for the Dundrum development, as outlined in the An Bord Pleanála (ABP) documents of February 2022. We then put them side by side with Imagine Dundrum’s vision of the best possible future for the Dundrum Village area, based on our long-term community engagement and our own evolving thinking. Quotations are drawn from a number of Imagine Dundrum documents, especially Imagine Dundrum’s Proposals for the Regeneration of the Old Shopping Centre site and the West side of Dundrum Village (August 2021) Read more.

 

1. Proposed number of apartments – 884 on a 3.38 hectare site.

Imagine Dundrum has commented that these numbers represent a very high density of building, inappropriate for the Village setting.

Note: The gross density here is approximately 262 units per hectare. For comparison, the Fernbank (Notre Dame) apartment development on Churchtown Rd Lower has around half that gross density (116), and the latest proposals for the Central Mental Hospital site give a similar figure, 111, while current proposals for the large Milltown Park apartment development cite 142 units per hectare. However, using net density (the measure used in statutory building standards) the Hammerson-Allianz proposals would yield a density of almost 340 units per hectare.

 

2. The proposed residential proportion of overall development is 95%. As An Bord Pleanála states, this almost wholly residential development is not appropriate for Dundrum’s Major Town Centre zoning, which requires “a greater degree of mixed use”. The proposals seem “unlikely to add to the vitality and viability of the Village area as a whole”.

The future Dundrum should be “A balanced development, with residential, office, retail and leisure elements “. (Imagine Dundrum’s Vision, 2016)

“A proper balance between residential, commercial and public/civic spaces, on the Main Street and in the overall development, restoring the original qualities of Dundrum Village.” (Support statement 2017 onward)

“Opportunities for independent businesses…a thriving night-time economy…a boutique hotel….There’s a need for a business centre…rooms to rent for meetings, and serviced offices to rent” (Imagine Dundrum Proposals, August 2021)

 

3. Types of apartments proposed – 40% to be 1-bed, 53% 2-bed, and 7% 3 bed. An Bord Pleanála questions if the proposals will produce “an inclusive people- friendly neighbourhood”.

The redevelopment of Dundrum must bring about “an inclusive residential community …by means of a variety of housing types and tenures”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

“The plans must contribute to building a thriving community. We want to see affordable homes in the Village, and options for families for families to buy long- term homes”. (Imagine Dundrum press statement 25/1/22)

“Concepts of neighbourhood and community should drive the planning focus for a site of such strategic significance”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

4. Building heights – the Hammerson-Allianz proposals are for 4-5 storeys on Main Street , rising to 8-9 and 11 on the bypass, with one tower of 16 storeys facing Sweetmount Ave. An Bord Pleanála comments that “the developer’s strategy…pays insufficient attention to integration with the predominantly 2-storey environment of Main Street” and queries “how the transition in building heights between the core of the development, Main Street and the Dundrum Bypass is handled”.

“The future Dundrum should be respectful of Dundrum’s heritage and streetscape”. (Imagine Dundrum: Vision statement 2016)

“A human scale…Building heights on and alongside Main Street must be sensitive to the original character, scale of the streetscape, and no more than 3 storeys in height …Imagine Dundrum proposes an absolute height limit on the Old Shopping Centre site of 8 storeys”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

“Densification need not mean high-rise buildings…compact low-rise forms…can achieve relatively high densities while maintaining the essential sense of neighbourhood and community”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

5. Public space – Hammerson-Allianz propose a public open space behind Holy Cross church. An Bord Pleanála notes that other public spaces may not be “meaningful’.

“Effective use of public space provision, including pocket parks, seating areas, and a market square integrating the site with Main Street “. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021, and original drawings 2017 by Eamon Regan, architect – see ‘Architect’s Concepts 2017’ in Gallery)

“Imagine Dundrum proposes…a ‘Design for All’ approach…accessible urban public spaces within the new development for families, people with disabilities and older people”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

6. Demolition – to facilitate the new apartment development, Hammerson-Allianz propose to demolish the Old Shopping Centre and all buildings on the West side of the street except Glenville Terrace and the buildings at the crossroads already designated as Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

Imagine Dundrum notes that an ACA designation for the historic buildings on Main Street will come into force in the forthcoming DLR County Development Plan 2022- 28, and will not permit this wholesale demolition: ”Imagine Dundrum has successfully made the case to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for several historic buildings on Main Street to be designated as an Architectural Conservation Area, and we call on Hammerson to respect the Council’s designation in any planning application”. (Press statement 25/1/22)

Imagine Dundrum has always sought “A lively Main Street, preserving the architectural heritage of the Village”. (Vision Statement 2016)

Imagine Dundrum emphasises the necessity for retaining and enhancing Dundrum’s “strong identity and sense of place”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

It is essential to retain the sense of the (Old Shopping Centre) site as an integral part of the Village, and not a separate ‘development’….Hammerson are in effect extending an existing Village, not just building on a site”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

7. Access and permeability – Hammerson-Allianz propose that all motorised access to the new development will be from the bypass. Parking is proposed for around 40% of apartments, plus 56 other spaces, and generous bicycle parking.

An Bord Pleanála questions the ‘permeability’ and ‘connectivity’ of the whole site and queries how well it links with all the elements in the immediate built environment.

Imagine Dundrum envisages the future Dundrum Village as “a connected environment, friendly to pedestrians and cyclists”. (Vision Statement 2016 ).

FAQs on Hammerson-Allianz Development Proposals for Dundrum Village

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At the Imagine Dundrum webinar on planning issues and the future of Dundrum village in late November 2021, so many questions were put to the panel that not all could be answered there and then. Here are answers to most of them, grouped into the main topics raised. They are particularly relevant now that An Bord Pleanála’s Opinion and Inspector’s’ Report on the Hammerson-Allianz proposals were published in January 2022. Read more…

Hammerson-Allianz Dundrum Village Redevelopment Proposals: An Bord Pleanála Opinion

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Dundrum Village Redevelopment Proposals

What do the An Bord Pleanála documents published in January 2022 tell us?

There are three ABP documents in all, and you can find them in full here:

If you only have time to read one document, perhaps the Inspector’s Report is the one!

Read more…

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