I write to you with strong support of the decision reached by the elected members of South Dublin County Council not to proceed with the proposed residential rezoning of the lands at Finnstown castle, Lucan, under Proposed Variation No. 2 to the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022–2028
SDCC has a responsibility to ensure there is sufficient land available to meet Government housing targets under the revised National Planning Framework (NPF).
The Council's own figures show that the revised National Planning Framework (NPF) baseline housing requirement has already been met. The overall package of proposed rezonings provides approximately 30% more residential capacity than the Government's baseline requirement. Because of this, there is no planning necessity to rezone the lands at Finnstown Castle in order to comply with national housing policy.
The value of such a historic site and its green space is far more beneficial to the residents of Lucan than trying to add a few more houses into an unsuitable site.
These lands make a highly important contribution to the ecology, ancient landscape, biodiversity, Green Infrastructure and the visual amenity of Finnstown and the greater South Lucan/Adamstown area.
The level of development that has already taken place, or is in progress, in the area of Lucan and nearby surrounds is unprecedented in any other area of South Dublin, or any part of Dublin.
The volume of homes already delivered and still in progress as part of Clonburris provides more than the fair share towards the allocations required to be absorbed by Lucan.
The impact of any attempts to rezone have been outlined as damaging to the residents in the area as well as unnecessary with the volume of surrounding developments in progress and already planned.
Omitting Ref No.3 entirely and leaving Finnstown Castle as-is must remain in place.
For these reasons, I respectfully ask that the elected members' decision be upheld and that amendment ref no.3 be removed.
Correct decision reached to omit this site from any rezoning.
This must be upheld.
SDCC has a responsibility to ensure there is sufficient land available to meet Government housing targets under the revised National Planning Framework (NPF).
The Council's own figures show that the revised National Planning Framework (NPF) baseline housing requirement has already been met. The overall package of proposed rezonings provides approximately 30% more residential capacity than the Government's baseline requirement. Because of this, there is no planning necessity to rezone the lands at St. Edmundsbury in order to comply with national housing policy.
No mandated requirement for developers to provide sufficient amenities for the community who will be housed there and also to provide premises to house schools, Garda stations, fire stations as required
This must be a condition of any development along with the below:
Parking capacity must be addressed to avoid the situation other areas of development in SDCC are currently facing such as Knocklyon, Citywest, Tallaght and even already in the newer developed sections of Adamstown and Clonburris.
Underground parking structures must be enforced and provide 1 space per residence at a minimum as well as bike storage and provisions for EV charging.
Healthcare Capacity
There is no provision for healthcare infrastructure within the recommendation, despite the scale of population growth envisaged. The absence of requirements for primary care centres, GP capacity, or wider community health services creates a clear risk that essential services will lag behind residential development.
Visual Amenity
There is no explicit guidance on protecting visual amenity or managing the visual impact of development. Key aspects such as building height, density transitions, and views are deferred to future masterplanning, leaving considerable uncertainty about the eventual form and quality of the development.
Loss of Strategic Open Land
The rezoning of these lands is not accompanied by a strong strategic justification or clear mitigation measures. There is no commitment to maintaining meaningful green buffers or preserving separation between settlements, raising concerns about incremental coalescence and loss of open countryside.
Overall Pace of Development (Relative to Adamstown & Clonburris)
The absence of a clear phasing strategy linked to infrastructure delivery remains a significant gap. The reliance on a relatively weak rail trigger, combined with the lack of firm sequencing measures, creates a risk that development could proceed ahead of infrastructure and outpace the build-out of existing SDZ areas, undermining coordinated and sustainable growth.
Overdevelopment and Cumulative Growth
A central theme of the public submissions was that Lucan, Adamstown and the surrounding area have already accommodated exceptionally high levels of housing growth through Adamstown SDZ, Clonburris SDZ and other developments. The CE recommendation directly acknowledges cumulative development potential and requires a master plan informed by cumulative impacts. However, it does not place any limit on the scale of development that may ultimately proceed. Instead, it requires further assessment and planning before development occurs. As a result, concerns about excessive growth have been recognised, but not fundamentally resolved.