Plans for €75m Carrickmines retail park approved

Plans for a €75 million retail park at Carrickmines in south Dublin have been given the go-ahead, despite concerns being raised by two State transport agencies about its impact on the M50.

Iput, one of the State’s largest property funds, has secured permission from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the development at “the Park” retail complex bordering Ballyogan Road, adjacent to Junction 15 on the motorway.

The scheme, which represents a 83,996sq m addition to the existing Park retail facilities, includes shops, restaurants, retail warehouses, 130 apartments and leisure facilities including an indoor skydiving arena.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) told the council last April that the proposed development would have an "adverse effect on the operation, safety and efficiency of the M50".

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Granting permission for the scheme would be at variance with official national policy to control developments affecting national roads, and was contrary to policies on sustainable transport, TII said.

‘Not convinced’

Following the TII submission, the council asked the developers to make changes to the plans. However, last November TII again wrote to the council saying it was “not convinced” its concerns had been addressed.

It said the M50 was “the most heavily trafficked road corridor in the country” and the trend for increasing traffic on the the motorway was “unsustainable”.

The submission noted that additional traffic volumes likely to be generated by development “would further exacerbate the operational safety and efficiency of the M50 corridor and undermine the benefits of public investment” in the motorway.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) said the proposed development, with about 49,010sq m of "trip-attracting" land uses and about 1,150 parking spaces, was "excessive" for the locality. It said a reduction in parking should be a stated condition of any subsequent decision to grant permission.

The council attached more than 30 conditions when it granted permission, including construction of a new link road, a reduction of 60 car parking spaces, and the use of paid parking for the commercial parts of the development.

Residential element

It praised the “high quality of the scheme’s overall design concept”, noted its inclusion of a residential element, and said it was “well served by public transport”.

However, Fianna Fáil local election candidate Olivia Buckley said she intended to appeal the council's decision to back the "mammoth development" to An Bord Pleanála.

“The traffic impact will be huge, clogging up the local and national road network. The M50 junctions are already bursting with high levels of existing traffic,” she said, adding that additional retail development was not needed in south Dublin.

“It is homes for families, young adults, locals, critical workers and older people who want local downsize options, that are needed.”