Thankfully the local councillors recognised the need to protect St Edmundsbury and to some degree Finnstown and I am hoping that these protections will now be guaranteed in this second traunch of submissions.
Lucan is an area that has grown massively and even WITHOUT these two areas being developed, Lucan will take still take over half of the proposed new housing in the South Dublin Council area.
Planning permission was refused for the local GAA to have a new pitch, other sports clubs and hobbies have also been crying out for development, childcare, creches, schools, doctors, the HSE etc can't deal with the pressure and the traffic is obviously nuts.
The current pressures are mad. But people will pretend to us that extra resources will be put in place to help with some of these issues.
No such pretend promises can be made on St Edmundsbury and Finnstown. Once you take away really valuable green spaces, there is no way you can put them back.
Under the National Planning Framework, we are supposed to be focusing on climate action and biodiversity and these areas, especially St Edmundsbury are vitally important.
One of the most frustrating things has been the status of St Edmundsbury being ignored. The High Amenity designation is significant and it's adjacent to an area designated SAAO by Dublin County Council.(one of only 3 in Dublin). It would be great to see SDCC stand up and push for strengthening of the protections for St Edmundsbury instead of even considering lowering it's protections.
You only have to look at the species of plants and animals in the area to recognise it's biodiversity value. I know Michael O'Flynn, a property developer working for the billionaire owners of the land, threatened that they might stop people walking through the land, but it certainly was literally a lifesaver during Covid when people's mental health was under severe impact and a walk there was so calming. I would beg JP McManus and John Magnier to consider their legacies.