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Have your say on plans for Dundrum Village

30 March 2022/in News

We are attaching our newsletter with information on the initial proposal from Hammerson/Allianz for Dundrum Village.
A full planning application is expected imminently and as we have just five weeks to respond we want to ensure that this information reaches as many people as possible in the Dundrum area. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested.
As soon as we have further information we will forward to everyone on our mailing list. Anyone can join this list.

Read the full newsletter

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blog-thumbnail.jpg 170 170 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-03-30 15:04:542023-04-19 18:11:58Have your say on plans for Dundrum Village

Local community hopes for Dundrum: revisiting the 2017 community conversations

23 March 2022/in News

In 2017, Imagine Dundrum hosted an Open Meeting, featuring “community conversations” among small groups of participants. They were asked three questions: ‘Why is Dundrum important to you?’, ‘What are the issues and what needs to change?’, and ‘Dundrum in the future – what would make it a really great place to live?’ In their answers to this question, local people expressed their wishes for the future of their Village, and imagined what it would look like. Will the Hammerson-Allianz proposals fulfil these hopes? Read what locals said here

 

1. Imagining a future Dundrum village area, redeveloped but still recognisably itself, and successful integrating old and new.

One person’s comment summed up a shared feeling that Dundrum must continue to be itself, even though in a new form. Despite the danger of the wrong outcome, Dundrum has the potential to

“return to being a real place people want to come to, not an artificial, commercial, high-rise, anonymous place, but somewhere green and nature- filled… A place to linger, rest, and relax. It can be vibrant and alive in its own right, not a …random street.”

Hopes for the future Dundrum included:

  • Put the heart back into Dundrum!
  • Dundrum should be alive!
  • It can be a flagship village with a green economy
  • Preserve Dundrum’s history and keep the character and scale of the village
  • Citizen input into the design
  • Unique, good architecture, attractive buildings, local materials
  • Public spaces well maintained
  • All areas connected
  • An improved civic and social focus
  • Make [it] a place in its own right, not a second Dundrum Town Centre!

2. Main Street – at the heart of the village

Many contributions concerned Dundrum’s Main Street, and there was strong agreement on the need to revivify it, while not destroying its unique character:

  • Bring life back to the street
  • [Dundrum needs] people living on the street
  • Keep the village ‘feel’
  • Link the pedestrians and the businesses on the street
  • Keep the integrity of the street
  • Create a continuous and more diverse streetscape, filling the gap where the old Shopping Centre car park is
  • Rehabilitate the area between the church and the (Barton Road junction) roundabout

Imagining what the Main Street could be, people suggested:

  • A pretty Main Street with cafes, independent shops, outdoor seating
  • The greening of the Main Street!
  • Mature trees all along the street
  • Reduce or eliminate traffic; minimise through traffic
  • Take down all the ugly shop fronts and restore the old houses
  • Traditional shop fronts
  • Wider footpaths
  • More refuse bins

3. Shopping on the Main Street and in the new development

The ideal expressed by many contributors was for a variety of small-scale, local businesses, including specialised and artisan-based shops as well as those providing practical necessities:

  • Bespoke small businesses
  • Small artisan shops, not just multiples
  • Encourage local businesses
  • Proper shops’, practical shops, not just coffee shops and clothes boutiques.
  • Hardware, greengrocers, haberdashery.

4. Getting around – thoughts on traffic, walking, cycling

In general, the hope was for a fresh and properly planned approach to moving around in Dundrum, which would prioritise walking and cycling, and plan for a major reduction in car parking in the village core:

  • A coherent traffic plan
  • A people-friendly, pedestrian-friendly place
  • A focus on cycling and walking
  • Off-street parking; underground parking; accessible parking

But when it came to specific suggestions, there could be opposing views:

  • High-level walkways linking parts of Dundrum, to help people move around
  • Underground connecting walkways
  • Pedestrianise the village! OR Don’t pedestrianise it – local businesses will suffer!

5. Facilities for children and young people; sports facilities

It was widely recognised that children’s and young people’s needs are not catered for in Dundrum at present, and that, in an area with so many young families, this major lack must be addressed. There were many suggestions:

  • Children need a playground
  • A skate park
  • Youth café (with pool tables)
  • Safe facilities for teenagers
  • Space for sports
  • Outdoor gym/ exercise equipment
  • Outdoor table tennis

6. Housing

There was considerable agreement that providing new housing in Dundrum would in itself substantially rejuvenate the Village area, as long as it was affordable housing mainly intended for families and older people:

  • Bring residents back into the village, especially families!
  • A village buzz, with people living there.
  • A range of accommodation, suitable for all ages including older people
  • 2 storey housing for families, not just high-rise apartments
  • Affordable housing and inclusivity
  • A balance between living and business

7. Environmental sustainability and ‘future-proofing’

The opportunities provided by such a major development, at a time when (unlike 2007/8) environmentally aware and sustainable building technologies are becoming mainstream, were emphasised by several contributors:

  • Dundrum could be a flagship green development
  • Future-proof Dundrum; respond to environmental concerns
  • [let’s have] green energy, a local energy co-op
  • Solar energy, selling electricity back to the grid

Many wanted a substantial planting programme to bring natural greenery back into the village:

  • Trees, green spaces
  • Trees please, and green rooftops
  • Landscaping, green rooftops

8. Arts, culture and creativity

The population of Dundrum now has the potential to support creativity in a range of arts and crafts, and would appreciate a museum of local history to local people could donate objects and documents about life in Dundrum many years ago:

  • An exhibition space
  • A crafts courtyard
  • Something like Design Yard idea
  • Street art (DLR County Council has funding for public art)
  • A museum of local history or a heritage centre
  • Commission music for the outdoor plaza

9. Public/ communal space

It was widely recognised that Dundrum has to date lacked open spaces and public seating, so the new development is the perfect opportunity to provide them, and create a much more enjoyable built environment which will strengthen social interaction:

  • We need communal space, indoors as well as outdoors
  • A central plaza which would be a meeting place
  • A large open plaza for markets etc
  • Somewhere just to sit, breathe, relax, linger
  • A civic space with seats, playgrounds, market place…
  • A bandstand (for music) and seating
  • An off-street community area with trees, seats, a fountain – visually interesting and safe.

10. A purpose-built civic and community centre

There was near-unanimous support for the demand for a new civic and community centre, which could also house cultural activities, in the new Dundrum.

  • Dundrum badly needs a civic and cultural centre
  • We need a proper civic centre, belonging to the community
  • A proper civic centre and community spaces
  • A civic/ community space as the focal point of the new development
  • We need significant public space for cultural and family activities

And, since much of this would have to be funded by the County Council, there was a practical suggestion, based on the strong case for a re-allocation of Council resources:

  • Use the revenue from Dundrum Town Centre! Other possibilities:
  • A kindergarten or small school – there’s a growing population of small children in the area
  • A hotel – a ‘bijou’ hotel with garden courtyard, catering for business travel, wedding receptions after local church ceremony, small conferences, and visitors to local residents
  • A new library
  • A grandstand/ bandstand with uses such as outdoor music, dancing and choirs at the annual Dundrum Festival

 

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blog-thumbnail.jpg 170 170 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-03-23 21:35:182023-06-01 19:59:58Local community hopes for Dundrum: revisiting the 2017 community conversations

The Hammerson-Allianz Proposals: Do they match Imagine Dundrum’s vision for our Village?

15 March 2022/in News

We list first some of the headline Hammerson-Allianz proposals for the Dundrum development, as outlined in the An Bord Pleanála (ABP) documents of February 2022. We then put them side by side with Imagine Dundrum’s vision of the best possible future for the Dundrum Village area, based on our long-term community engagement and our own evolving thinking. Quotations are drawn from a number of Imagine Dundrum documents, especially Imagine Dundrum’s Proposals for the Regeneration of the Old Shopping Centre site and the West side of Dundrum Village (August 2021) Read more.

 

1. Proposed number of apartments – 884 on a 3.38 hectare site.

Imagine Dundrum has commented that these numbers represent a very high density of building, inappropriate for the Village setting.

Note: The gross density here is approximately 262 units per hectare. For comparison, the Fernbank (Notre Dame) apartment development on Churchtown Rd Lower has around half that gross density (116), and the latest proposals for the Central Mental Hospital site give a similar figure, 111, while current proposals for the large Milltown Park apartment development cite 142 units per hectare. However, using net density (the measure used in statutory building standards) the Hammerson-Allianz proposals would yield a density of almost 340 units per hectare.

 

2. The proposed residential proportion of overall development is 95%. As An Bord Pleanála states, this almost wholly residential development is not appropriate for Dundrum’s Major Town Centre zoning, which requires “a greater degree of mixed use”. The proposals seem “unlikely to add to the vitality and viability of the Village area as a whole”.

The future Dundrum should be “A balanced development, with residential, office, retail and leisure elements “. (Imagine Dundrum’s Vision, 2016)

“A proper balance between residential, commercial and public/civic spaces, on the Main Street and in the overall development, restoring the original qualities of Dundrum Village.” (Support statement 2017 onward)

“Opportunities for independent businesses…a thriving night-time economy…a boutique hotel….There’s a need for a business centre…rooms to rent for meetings, and serviced offices to rent” (Imagine Dundrum Proposals, August 2021)

 

3. Types of apartments proposed – 40% to be 1-bed, 53% 2-bed, and 7% 3 bed. An Bord Pleanála questions if the proposals will produce “an inclusive people- friendly neighbourhood”.

The redevelopment of Dundrum must bring about “an inclusive residential community …by means of a variety of housing types and tenures”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

“The plans must contribute to building a thriving community. We want to see affordable homes in the Village, and options for families for families to buy long- term homes”. (Imagine Dundrum press statement 25/1/22)

“Concepts of neighbourhood and community should drive the planning focus for a site of such strategic significance”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

4. Building heights – the Hammerson-Allianz proposals are for 4-5 storeys on Main Street , rising to 8-9 and 11 on the bypass, with one tower of 16 storeys facing Sweetmount Ave. An Bord Pleanála comments that “the developer’s strategy…pays insufficient attention to integration with the predominantly 2-storey environment of Main Street” and queries “how the transition in building heights between the core of the development, Main Street and the Dundrum Bypass is handled”.

“The future Dundrum should be respectful of Dundrum’s heritage and streetscape”. (Imagine Dundrum: Vision statement 2016)

“A human scale…Building heights on and alongside Main Street must be sensitive to the original character, scale of the streetscape, and no more than 3 storeys in height …Imagine Dundrum proposes an absolute height limit on the Old Shopping Centre site of 8 storeys”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

“Densification need not mean high-rise buildings…compact low-rise forms…can achieve relatively high densities while maintaining the essential sense of neighbourhood and community”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

5. Public space – Hammerson-Allianz propose a public open space behind Holy Cross church. An Bord Pleanála notes that other public spaces may not be “meaningful’.

“Effective use of public space provision, including pocket parks, seating areas, and a market square integrating the site with Main Street “. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021, and original drawings 2017 by Eamon Regan, architect – see ‘Architect’s Concepts 2017’ in Gallery)

“Imagine Dundrum proposes…a ‘Design for All’ approach…accessible urban public spaces within the new development for families, people with disabilities and older people”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

6. Demolition – to facilitate the new apartment development, Hammerson-Allianz propose to demolish the Old Shopping Centre and all buildings on the West side of the street except Glenville Terrace and the buildings at the crossroads already designated as Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

Imagine Dundrum notes that an ACA designation for the historic buildings on Main Street will come into force in the forthcoming DLR County Development Plan 2022- 28, and will not permit this wholesale demolition: ”Imagine Dundrum has successfully made the case to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for several historic buildings on Main Street to be designated as an Architectural Conservation Area, and we call on Hammerson to respect the Council’s designation in any planning application”. (Press statement 25/1/22)

Imagine Dundrum has always sought “A lively Main Street, preserving the architectural heritage of the Village”. (Vision Statement 2016)

Imagine Dundrum emphasises the necessity for retaining and enhancing Dundrum’s “strong identity and sense of place”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

It is essential to retain the sense of the (Old Shopping Centre) site as an integral part of the Village, and not a separate ‘development’….Hammerson are in effect extending an existing Village, not just building on a site”. (Imagine Dundrum Proposals August 2021)

 

7. Access and permeability – Hammerson-Allianz propose that all motorised access to the new development will be from the bypass. Parking is proposed for around 40% of apartments, plus 56 other spaces, and generous bicycle parking.

An Bord Pleanála questions the ‘permeability’ and ‘connectivity’ of the whole site and queries how well it links with all the elements in the immediate built environment.

Imagine Dundrum envisages the future Dundrum Village as “a connected environment, friendly to pedestrians and cyclists”. (Vision Statement 2016 ).

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blog-thumbnail.jpg 170 170 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-03-15 16:56:462023-06-01 20:06:58The Hammerson-Allianz Proposals: Do they match Imagine Dundrum’s vision for our Village?

FAQs on Hammerson-Allianz Development Proposals for Dundrum Village

1 March 2022/in News

At the Imagine Dundrum webinar on planning issues and the future of Dundrum village in late November 2021, so many questions were put to the panel that not all could be answered there and then. Here are answers to most of them, grouped into the main topics raised. They are particularly relevant now that An Bord Pleanála’s Opinion and Inspector’s’ Report on the Hammerson-Allianz proposals were published in January 2022. Read more…

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blog-thumbnail.jpg 170 170 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-03-01 12:34:182023-05-31 14:34:45FAQs on Hammerson-Allianz Development Proposals for Dundrum Village

Hammerson-Allianz Dundrum Village Redevelopment Proposals: An Bord Pleanála Opinion

27 February 2022/in News

Dundrum Village Redevelopment Proposals

What do the An Bord Pleanála documents published in January 2022 tell us?

There are three ABP documents in all, and you can find them in full here:

  • 311553 Opinion,
  • 311553 Report,
  • 311533 Record of Meeting.

If you only have time to read one document, perhaps the Inspector’s Report is the one!

Read more…

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blog-thumbnail.jpg 170 170 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-02-27 14:51:282023-04-20 10:44:48Hammerson-Allianz Dundrum Village Redevelopment Proposals: An Bord Pleanála Opinion

News Release: Hammerson-Allianz have put forward initial proposals for Dundrum to An Bord Pleanála

12 February 2022/in News

On Friday January 14th, An Bord Pleanála gave its formal Opinion on the initial proposals submitted by Hammerson for redevelopment of the Old Shopping Centre in Dundrum Village and their properties on Main Street. The Opinion concludes the first stage of the Strategic Housing Development planning process and paves the way for a formal Planning Application. Hammerson now has 16 weeks from the date of issue of the Opinion to submit a Planning Application to an Bord Pleanála. Read more…

 

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blog-thumbnail.jpg 170 170 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-02-12 21:13:472023-04-20 10:46:48News Release: Hammerson-Allianz have put forward initial proposals for Dundrum to An Bord Pleanála

Time to speak up and speak out for Dundrum Village!

16 January 2022/in News

Imagine Dundrum has been campaigning for several years now for the best possible future for Dundrum Village, and for a strong community voice in planning that future. The time has

come to join together and together make our strongest possible case for that future!

 

URGENT! SIGN UP WITH IMAGINE DUNDRUM TO LEARN ABOUT THE PLANS FOR DUNDRUM VILLAGE!

 

Hammerson, the owner of the Old Shopping Centre in Dundrum Village and most properties on the west of Main Street (same side as the Church), will lodge a planning application for a major residential development on the Old Shopping Centre site within weeks.

 

This development will shape the future of our Village for generations, so local people need to be fully informed about the plans.  You will have only five weeks from the time the planning application is lodged in order to examine the plans and make your submission.

 

Imagine Dundrum is committed to assisting and supporting the local community to assert their voice and their view on the Hammerson plans. We will contact everyone on our Mailing List regularly with information and arrangements for community conversations about the plans.  Local people will only get one chance to influence the future of Dundrum Village. Please join our mailing list now at https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/join-our-mailing-list/

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5319-copy.jpg 749 1000 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2022-01-16 19:33:332023-04-20 10:47:21Time to speak up and speak out for Dundrum Village!

Webinar: a Changing Dundrum Village – Information and Inspiration, November 2021

6 December 2021/in News

Imagine Dundrum is delighted to report that its recent webinar generated a very positive public response.

Read all about it here and watch the recording here.

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/dundrum5.jpg 591 1500 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2021-12-06 10:54:242023-06-21 14:33:41Webinar: a Changing Dundrum Village – Information and Inspiration, November 2021

Webinar Update: Outline programme and speakers. Register Now!

10 November 2021/in News

Register now!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jyzXEkFxQ1a4DTWvAG3u3A

Key websites:

  • www.imaginedundrum.ie
  • www.ddpa.ie
  • www.sca.ie
https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/dundrum1.jpg 591 1500 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2021-11-10 18:34:472023-04-20 10:57:31Webinar Update: Outline programme and speakers. Register Now!

Dundrum Village Newsflash! Planning application for Old Shopping Centre imminent!

29 October 2021/in News

Hammerson, the owner of the Old Shopping Centre site and adjacent buildings on Main Street, has begun the process of seeking planning permission to develop the site. The first stage of the process  – pre-application consultations with An Bord Pleanala and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council – has started, and the formal planning application is likely to be lodged early in 2022.

No information is available right now, except that the application proposes 889 apartments, which would appear to be a very high density for our area. 

In anticipation of this particular application, we have planned for a webinar, and it will be held on Tuesday 16th November. Our webinar aims to: 

1. Inform the Dundrum public about what we would like to see in Dundrum

2. Outline the current national guidelines for planning applications, and to indicate where this application is in the process now, and 

3. Present  alternative approaches to high rise that work. 

In essence, it’s a call to become involved!

 Registration details for the webinar can be found at the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jyzXEkFxQ1a4DTWvAG3u3A

https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/dundrum4.jpg 591 1500 Rebekah https://www.imaginedundrum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo1.png Rebekah2021-10-29 11:39:432021-11-05 22:41:44Dundrum Village Newsflash! Planning application for Old Shopping Centre imminent!
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