AN BORD PLEANÁLA has approved plans for a new town submitted by South Dublin County Council (SDCC) that could home over 21,000 people.

The development over the 280 hectares site in an area between Lucan, Clondalkin and Liffey Valley will play a “central role” in addressing the demand for housing in Dublin, the council said today.

The long-mooted plan has been the subject of fierce debate in recent years, with councillors rowing over the amount of social housing that will be built in the area, and the infrastructure and amenities that will be put in place.

Planning permission was granted for the development with a number of modifications. Under the approved plan, three primary and post-primary schools will be built and 72% of all the houses will be located within 500 metres of a school.

Almost all residents (98%) will be able to access a bus stop within 400 metres or a train station within 800 metres.

The Clonburris masterplan

It’ll be served by Kishoge and Clondalkin/Fonthill rail stations, with three regional roads and an outer ring road to connect the lands to the N4 and N7 national routes.

SDCC chief executive Daniel McLoughlin said the Clonburris development will be an opportunity for the council to “directly respond” to the demand for new housing in Dublin.

“The approved planning scheme for the Strategic Development Zone will allow the construction of housing in close coordination with the delivery of public transport infrastructure, schools, community facilities, parks, retail and employment-related development,” she said.

As SDCC has just received permission from An Bord Pleanála, the next step will involve developers submitting their proposals for delivering the project before councillors vote to approve the final plans. One aspect that will be clarified at that stage is the provision of social housing on the site.

In February 2018, councillors had argued over the social housing provision for the site.

Sinn Féin councillors and others were looking for close to 4,000 of the homes built in Clonburris to be either social or affordable housing.

A total of 22% of the land at the SDZ is actually owned by SDCC, which Sinn Féin councillors said presented a unique opportunity to build a significant number of social houses.

Other councillors opposed this level of social housing build, however. In the end a motion for about 32% social and affordable housing across the entire site was passed by councillors.