Estuary West Masterplan, Swords

PWEI

Got this from our Residents Association toady.

Its an email from Cllr Duncan Smith about a draft master plan for apartment blocks along the Glen Ellan Road with one 8 storey block on the corner of Balheary Road.

The traffic around the Glen Ellan road is already at saturation point in the mornings ever since all the new houses in Millers Glen were built.
I don't think the neighborhood can take much more traffic.




Good afternoon,

I am writing to you as officers of residents associations along the Glen Ellan Road to make sure you are aware of the public consultation coming up in March for the Estuary West Masterplan. Estuary West is the land contiguous to the Glen Ellan Road bordering the Balheary Road on the east and old Jugback Lane on the west. This is a large piece of largely undeveloped land which helps form the first impression of the Glen Ellan Road. The land is currently zoned Metro Economic which means it is open for development in line with the Metro with mixed objectives for housing, retail and community units.

Last Thursday we received a presentation at the Area Committee regarding this (and three other masterplans for Swords) which are key to helping deliver Metrolink. I focused my contribution on the Estuary West Plan. One of the first things I took from the presentation we received was that the draft masterplan includes four storey apartment blocks along the Glen Ellan Road with 8 storey block on the corner with the Balheary Road. My initial personal opinion is that any high rise should be set back from the Glen Ellan Road so as not to dominate the beginning of the road which, does have an attractive visual aspect.
The draft plan also includes two road openings onto the GE road and has a provision for a school. There is also a provision in the draft plan for low rise two storey homes along Jugback Lane, which on first analysis sounds ok but will still require further analysis.

There is a lot to take in and I have already spoken to senior planners and will be meeting them as part of the consultation process in March. There are two primary property owners of this land: Gannon Property which owns lands on the east and Cairn Homes with lands on the Western side (along Jugback Lane). I understand Cairns Homes are seeking to put in a planning application for houses in the near future. In the absence of a Masterplan, such an application could go straight to An Bord Pleanala for a decision, which is why this process is important and we must as a community engage with it. I already halted a Council-backed plan to parcel off some of the lands for Residential rezoning during the Development Plan in 2016 as I believed then as I do know, that the entire area needs to be subject to a Masterplan.

I will pass on more details when I have it and there will be an open public information day at some point in March.

I am sending this email with attachments to ask you to spread the word amongst your committees and members and residents so there is an awareness of this process. remember, it is just a DRAFT at this stage. it is not a planning application or an indicative plan of what will go in the Estuary West lands. That said, it is vital we all have our say now.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards

Duncan

PCros

Quite a busy road indeed from whenever I drive up that way.

Will they be levelling that disused factory/plant on the corner too?

PWEI

PCros wrote: »

Quite a busy road indeed from whenever I drive up that way.

Will they be levelling that disused factory/plant on the corner too?

That's actually been used as a storage facility.
I think its the National Museum that rents it.
I've seen may trucks & vans going in the rear entrance on the Balheary Road.

Suckit

PWEI wrote: »

That's actually been used as a storage facility.
I think its the National Museum that rents it.
I've seen may trucks & vans going in the rear entrance on the Balheary Road.

Rhinocerous heads stolen from there a while back.
I believe Gerry Gannon owns it, or did until fairly recently. Have seen him there on more than one occasion too.

McAlban

PWEI wrote: »

My initial personal opinion is that any high rise should be set back from the Glen Ellan Road so as not to dominate the beginning of the road which, does have an attractive visual aspect.

It's a derelict car park, a plain "brownfield" site, is he having a laugh?

In reality 8 stories at that location will probably be knocked back to 6 at most. No other buildings that height in Swords as far as I know.

With the access to the Rathbeale road being opened, along with upgrade works, the traffic in the area should be reduced but it is very very busy, metro won't remove all the cars, if it gets built.

pinkypinky

Also not sure what the problem is.

Inquitus

pinkypinky wrote: »

Also not sure what the problem is.

I don't think we need apartment blocks of those sizes in the proposed locations personally.

PWEI

pinkypinky wrote: »

Also not sure what the problem is.

There are tailbacks from the Swords business campus to Applewood every morning.
I would imagine adding apartment blocks to that road would add to the traffic congestion.

Suckit

Inquitus wrote: »

I don't think we need apartment blocks of those sizes in the proposed locations personally.

At a guess, the developer has gone that large guessing that they'll get refused and get 6 storey apartments.
Still to large for that area imo.
Probably only 1% of them for sale too, they'll probably all be rented and as they're not near any main public transport line, a three bedroom rental will likely bring three cars.

pinkypinky

Hoping though that they do eventually build the metro, they will be a very short walking distance from the nearest stop.

Daraa

As someone who works in the Campus I wouldnt mind one.

0lddog

Inquitus wrote: »

I don't think we need apartment blocks of those sizes in the proposed locations personally.

Just you wait !

Swords will be to the Northside what Sandyford is to the Southside

mickmmc

Part of the un-used car park on the Museum site has been re-lined.

Maybe it is a sign that any building on this site will only begin after Metrolink has started like many other zoned sites around Swords.