TWO Dublin county councils have made a joint bid for the four-acre site beside Booterstown Marsh that was once owned by developer Bernard McNamara and is now being sold by receivers Farrell, Grant and Sparks acting on behalf of Nama.
The site which Bernard McNamara once used as a helicopter landing pad, before An Bord Pleanála ruled he had to stop, is beside the nature reserve which has EU Special Protection Area conservation status.
Two-thirds of the site is in the administrative area of Dublin City Council, with the remainder in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and the two councils have joined forces to get it for themselves.
The site has had a long and troubled history. In 2003, An Bord Pleanála refused McNamaras Ashcastle Developments planning permission for 53 luxury apartments and a public park beside Booterstown Marsh bird sanctuary.
An Taisce, which leases the sanctuary, is appealing to Nama to stop the sale and keep the land in public ownership.
It appears local residents are not sure the councils’ getting their mitts on the site is necessarily a good thing.
Some fear it will be turned into a park-and-ride, while others think it could become part of the long term route for the Eastern bypass.
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