Core Refusal Reason
The Planning Authority's primary reason for refusal was non-compliance with the 60/40 site coverage requirement for 'F' zoned lands, alleging that the proposed school facilities failed to set aside 60% of the site for publicly accessible open space or playing fields.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The Inspector concluded that the ball courts should be classified as 'playing fields' within the 60% open space quota rather than 'built form,' reducing the deviation from the CDP guidelines to a non-material 0.8%.
- Public accessibility to the site can be successfully managed through legal agreements and planning conditions, ensuring the community benefits from dual-use facilities outside of school hours.
- The proposed development is compatible with the surrounding residential context, as separation distances of 36m to 55m and a comprehensive landscaping plan mitigate potential impacts of overlooking, overshadowing, and noise.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Zoning Objective F (Open Space)Policy Objective PHP2 (Sustainable Neighbourhood Infrastructure)Policy Objective PHP7 (Schools)Policy Objective PHP20 (Protection of Existing Residential Amenity)Policy Objective PHP35 (Healthy Placemaking)Section 12.3.2.5 (School Development)Section 13.1.2 (Transitional Zonal Areas)Table 13.1.1 (Zoning Guidelines)
Decision Document Summary
This report assesses an appeal against the refusal of a 16-classroom primary school and a 1,000-pupil post-primary school on a 3.9-hectare site in Goatstown. The subject site, formerly the Irish Glass Bottle Social Club, is zoned for Open Space ('Objective F'), which allows educational use but requires that 60% of the land be retained for public amenity. While the local authority argued the school would occupy too much of the site, the Inspector recommends granting permission, arguing that the 6...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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