In 2020, Fingal County Council held two public consultation processes on Kellystown, a new urban neighbourhood planned in Dublin 15.
A statutory public consultation took place on the Draft Kellystown Local Area Plan (LAP) and a non-statutory public consultation took place on proposals for a new road in Kellystown.
Since plans for Kellystown assumed a road bridge would be constructed through Riverwood Court / Stationcourt, many residents made submissions to Fingal County Council communicating their concerns in this regard.
You will find information below on each public consultation and links to relevant Fingal County Council webpages, where it is possible to view all submissions.
Draft Local Area Plan (LAP) for Kellystown
A LAP is a statutory document prepared by the Planning Authority which consists of a written statement and plans setting out a land use strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of an area. More information on the Draft Kellystown LAP and all submissions on the LAP are available to view on the Fingal County Council website.
Key issues raised by residents in submissions:
- Since the Kellystown Draft LAP assumes that the DART+ West project will proceed as proposed, it is in conflict with a number of local objective points of the Fingal Development Plan, including ‘Objective PM69: Ensure that proposals do not have a detrimental effect on local amenity by way of traffic, parking, noise or loss of privacy of adjacent residents’, and Local Objective Points 130, 131, 137, 141 and 142.
- A feasibility study on the location of a road bridge in the Kellystown LAP lands, crossing the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Maynooth railway, connecting north to the Ongar road should be carried out in accordance with objective point 130 of the Fingal Development Plan (see Kellystown Draft LAP, pp 130-131)
- Fingal County Council should carry out their own transportation survey to assess the impact of Kellystown on traffic in the wider area rather than relying on conclusions of Irish Rail’s Maynooth Line Transport Survey which was prepared to support Irish Rail’s plans for DART + West and is not appropriate for use in this context.
- Cooperation between Irish Rail and Fingal County Council to undermine local objective points that protect Coolmine Level Crossing while a public consultation on DART+ West is underway damages public trust in the planning process. Fingal County Council should halt further proceedings on Kellystown until such time as proceedings on DART + West have concluded.
Further Information
During an earlier public consultation process on Kellystown, Irish Rail made a submission recommending DART + West and that Fingal County Council reconsider a number of objective points of the Fingal Development Plan, including points 141 (which prohibits a bridge for vehicular traffic through Riverwood Court/Station Court) and 142 (which calls for the Coolmine Level Crossing to be kept open). You can view Irish Rail’s submission on the Fingal County Council website by following this link.
Kellystown Road – Non Statutory Public Engagement
Fingal County Council conducted a separate consultation on proposals to develop the Kellystown Road, which will provide a link from the Diswellstown Road at Porterstown in the East to Barnhill in the West, allowing for the development of a new urban neighbourhood in the Kellystown LAP Lands. Further information on the road scheme, and all submissions, are available from the Fingal County Council website.
Key issues raised in submissions:
- Objective 4 of the Kellystown Road: Options Selection report is ‘to facilitate the future closing of level crossings on the Maynooth Dublin rail line in consultation with other stakeholders and as part of wider ND/NPF/NTA strategies.’ This means the scheme is in conflict with Fingal Development Plan objective points 130, 131, 137, 141 and 142.
- The Kellystown Road: Options Selection report conflicts with Fingal Development Plan local objective point 130 (‘Prepare a feasibility study on the location of a road bridge, crossing the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Maynooth railway, connecting north to the Ongar road’). A feasibility study of this nature should be carried out and considered as part of plans for Kellystown Road.
- Objective 4 of the Kellystown Road scheme also conflicts with Objectives 8 and 9 of the same scheme. It is clear from the Maynooth Line Transport Survey that Irish Rail’s plans will increase traffic congestion in the area. By supporting Irish Rail’s plans, the Kellystown Road scheme will serve to further reduce accessibility, increase journey times, increase noise, air and light pollution, which will have a negative impact of quality of life Kellystown and adjacent estates.
- The study area of the Kellystown Road: Options Selection report is very narrow and does adequately account for the impact of the proposed road scheme on adjacent estates (e.g. Riverwood) or the wider area.
- Cooperation between Irish Rail and Fingal County Council to undermine local objective points that protect Coolmine Level Crossing while a public consultation on DART+ West is underway damages public trust in the planning process. Fingal County Council should halt further proceedings on Kellystown until such time as proceedings on DART + West have concluded.
Local Area Objectives
A number of the Local Area Objectives from the Fingal Development Plan 2017-2023 are mentioned above. Here are their definitions.
- 130: Prepare a feasibility study on the location of a road bridge, crossing the Royal Canal and the Dublin – Maynooth railway, connecting north to the Ongar Road. This location shall be determined in advance of, or part of, the adoption of the Local Area Plan for lands at Kellystown.
- 131: Provide for traffic safety measures at this dangerous corner/junction (the sharp bend before Westmanstown).
- 137: Preserve the existing pedestrian and vehicular right of way at the level crossing at Porterstown.
- 141: Prohibit any road bridge at this location (Riverwood Court)
- 142: Preserve the existing pedestrian and vehicular right of way at the Coolmine Level Crossing.
You can view the large map for the area.