An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) has given the green light for a barrier system to serve the Blanchardstown Centre in west Dublin despite local opposition.
In its decision, ACP found that the centre’s new mobility enhancement project, which includes a commercial car-parking management system comprising a new paid parking regime, “would not exacerbate existing traffic conditions on site or negatively impact the residential and visual amenities of the area”.
The commission also found that the plans by Blanche Retail Nominee Ltd for the controlled parking measures “would not detract from the vitality or viability” of the centre.
In the comprehensive endorsement of the scheme, ACP said the proposal “seeks to implement a balanced approach to the provision of car parking, using parking as a demand-management measure to promote a transition towards more sustainable forms of transportation, while meeting the needs of businesses and communities”.
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Fingal County Council gave the go-ahead for the scheme last November but the plan was stalled after three separate appeals were lodged with ACP including one by local TD, Ruth Coppinger (People Before Profit Solidarity) and party colleagues and members of Fingal County Council Helen Redwood and John Burtchaell.
Others to lodge appeals were Cllr John Walsh (Labour) and Luke Daly and Jack O’Reilly, who made a joint appeal.
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The opposition to the paid parking proposals also involved local protests at the shopping centre last year and the appeals were supported by 28 parties which lodged observations with ACP on the case. They included Fine Gael TD Emer Currie and a number of residents’ associations.
The ACP inspector in the case, Darragh Ryan, found that the proposed introduction of controlled parking can reasonably be regarded as a mechanism for managing demand for private car travel and parking within an established major town centre.
In the Coppinger appeal, planning consultant Brendan Buck of BPS Planning and Development Consultants argued that paid barriers would restrict access to community facilities such as the library, leisure centre, essential retail for low-income residents, workers and vulnerable groups in Dublin 15.
In their joint appeal, Luke Daly and Jack O’Reilly said a petition with almost 9,000 signatures gathered to date reflected a high level of public concern.
Strategic Value Partners acquired the lands at the Blanchardstown Centre in late 2024 from Wall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs for a reported sales price in the region of €600 million.
