Planning at Phibblestown House

Menolly Homes have applied for planning permission for development at

Phibblestown House & Grounds, Phibblestown, Hansfield Road, Clonsilla, Dublin 15 (FW11A/0116)

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Old Hansfield road project gets vital funding

Fingal County Council has received funding to pedestrianise and upgrade the old Hansfield road between Ongar, and Phibblestown.

The road was once part of the Clonsilla to Clonee road but was closed off when the Ongar road was built. A scheme (see back) to pedestrianise the old road in 2008 had to be shelved by the council due to lack of funds. Since then it has attracted a lot of dumping and anti social behaviour and was the site of a number of serious assaults in the past year.


With a new government in place I urged the council to apply for funding in the hope of getting the project underway again. I am pleased that our local TD, the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Leo Varadkar, has confirmed that the National Transport Authority has allocated €250,000 to help upgrade the road. The works must be carried out before the end of the year.

This is an important route for students attending Scoil Setanta and Scoil Grainne at Phibblestown as well as those using the new sports and community facilities there. Upgrading the road and installing adequate lighting will provide safer access for all especially in the dark winter evenings to come.

See here for more information on the original scheme

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Blanchardstown West Educate Together Opening September 2011

The new Blanchardstown West Educate Together National School is opening its doors for the first time on September 1st 2011. The school is located on a temporary site beside Mary Mother of Hope NS in Littlepace, Dublin 15 and will eventually locate to Hansfield near Ongar.

For all the latest information on the school, or if you are interested in enrolling your child, the school’s website can be found here.

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Minister Dempsey to bypass Hansfield Station.

Commuters on the new railway line from Dunboyne are in for a surprise when they arrive at their destination in the middle of Dublin’s Sheriff Street. While most commuters will want to travel to Connolly and Pearse Stations, the Dunboyne Line will only service the Docklands Station.

This will likely lead to overcrowding on the Connolly Line as many of the new Dunboyne commuters seek to change trains at Clonsilla. The only connections at Docklands Station are the 151 Bus and the Luas Red Line, both of which service O’Connell Street. There is no link to the business districts south of the river. This issue must be addressed by Minister Dempsey’s Department of Transport.

Meanwhile the new Hansfield station at Ongar remains closed because there is no road access to it. It must have been embarrassing for Transport Minister Noel Dempsey as he passed it en route to the opening ceremony in Dunboyne today. The road was to have been provided by the local developers but they have stopped all building on the site.The Transport Minister must show some leadership here and get the issue sorted between the planning authority, Irish Rail and the developers.

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Dublin Bus changes to Clonee/Ongar Routes

Dublin Bus is considering changes to bus routes in the Clonee/Ongar area. These include a new peak-period direct bus from Ongar (the 139), re-routing all 70 buses to serve Littlepace and then travel directly to town along the N3. An inbound bus lane along the N3 from Clonee to Blanchardstown has been agreed by the council. The council is also due to decide shortly on plans for bus lanes along the Blakestown Way which if approved may reopen the prospect of the Bus Gate to Huntstown Wood via Bramblefield. Fine Gael is opposed to this.


Dunboyne Rail Spur: Progress is being made on the Dunboyne rail spur which is expected to open in 2010. Stations will be located at Pace (near Dunboyne where there will be a large park ‘n’ride), Dunboyne and Hansfield to the south of Ongar. These trains will run to Docklands. Planning has already been submitted for the Hansfield Station. Detailed drawings, etc. can be accessed, at http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Planning/PlanningSearch (ref no F08A/0518)

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Kellystown Variation (Rezoning)

As you may know, Fingal County Council has voted by 12 to 10 in favour of the variation to rezone the Kellystown lands. Four of the seven councillors from Dublin 15 supported the variation.

The Kellystown Variation, as adopted by the Council, provides for

• 60 acres of residential zoned land along the railway line
• 79 acres of amenity and parkland along the Luttrellstown Road
• 7 acres for a suburban centre (mixed-use development)
• Reserved sites for one secondary school, two primary schools, a community/sports centre, a graveyard and new grounds for St Mochta’s FC

It is a legally binding requirement of the variation that no residential development may take place until the secondary, first primary school, community/recreation centre, distributor road and the new canal and railing way bridge at Clonsilla are up and running (Objective KN9)

Prior to any residential development taking place, the Council must also agree and vote on a Local Area Plan (LAP) which will deal with issues such as housing design and density and public transport provision for the new development (Objective KN7)

As I am not a member of the Council, I did not have a vote on this issue. However, my local Fine Gael colleague Cllr. Eithne Loftus voted in favour for the following reasons:

1. To secure the much needed school sites, parkland and facilities for the community
2. Because 248 of the 282 submissions made by members of public supported the variation
3. The opponents of the variation were unable to come up with a viable alternative proposal to secure these amenities for the public
4. To secure, for the first time, a genuine publicly owned greenbelt which will stretch from Shackelton’s Gardens in Clonsilla to the grounds of Castleknock Hurling Football Club near the M50 providing a barrier to further development between Castleknock and Clonsilla and the Liffey Valley and Luttrellstown Demesne to the south
5. The eventual development of the lands along the railway is inevitable due to their proximity to the railway and the new powers given by the government to the Dublin Transport Authority to overrule the zoning decisions of councillors

There will be no residential development on these lands for a very long time. However, Leo Varadkar TD and I will put maximum pressure on the government to acquire the newly reserved school sites and to now proceed with their development without further delay.

If I am elected to the Council, I will use my influence and that of my party to ensure that improved train services, the long-promised train station at Porterstown, the graveyard and parkland is delivered in phases alongside the residential development when the Local Area Plan (LAP) for Kellystown comes up for discussion. This integrated planning approach was used in Adamstown and Hansfield and should be used in Kellystown as well. I will also do my best to ensure that the development that is permitted is well-designed and appropriate for a suburban area such as Dublin 15. I will be in contact with you to invite you to discuss the LAP with me as soon as a draft is prepared by the Council.

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Pedestrianisation of Old Hansfield Road

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