COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

MOTION NO. 18

MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

"That this Area Committee recommends the initiation of a variation of the Development Plan to insert a new Local Zoning Objective, to apply to lands zoned ‘EP2’ at Fonthill Retail Park immediately bounding Fonthill Road, as follows:

“Facilitate the provision of discount food stores and ethnic food stores (including ancillary in-house retail services) in the area immediately bounding Fonthill Road.”

The rationale for the proposed variation is to seek to address the anomaly whereby as a result of the 2010 rezoning from a general enterprise zoning to the new ‘EP2’ zoning, food stores are now deemed to be not permitted; leading to concerns that future planning applications relating to the retention and further development of existing food stores on the lands subject to this variation may be automatically refused, irrespective of the appropriateness otherwise of the development being proposed."

REPORT:

The Fonthill Retail Park, which was initially permitted as a bulky goods retail comparison development, is subject to zoning objective - EP2 – ‘To facilitate opportunities for manufacturing, Research and Development facilities, light industry and employment and enterprise related uses in industrial areas and business parks’.

With respect to retailing the underlying thrust of the Development Plan policy is to support towns, villages and local centres. It is not considered appropriate for the Development Plan to include the proposed LZO. In particular it should be noted that the proposed wording refers to ‘Ethic food stores’ a description that has no status in planning legislation. With respect to ‘Discount Food stores’ while this was a specified use in the past , the most recent Retail planning guidelines 2012 specifically omit reference to this use and consider them to be small supermarkets.

With respect to proposals for development of existing foodstores which may be located in EP2 these could be considered under the established but non conforming uses section of the development plan, although the size, scale and form of such development would have to considered in any determination. However, the issue of retention is a more complex issue, as it clearly relates to development which has taken place and may have resulted in a form of development which is not considered appropriate.

 No application is automatically refused but is considered on its merits and in accoradasnce with the all the policies and objectives of the County Development Plan. It is considered that there is no anomaly in the current Development Plan.

Recommendation

 It is  recommended that the Motion NOT be approved by the Area Committee:

 ·         The policy in relation to Discount Food Stores has been changed under the South Dublin County Council Development Plan (2010 – 2016) in the context that discount food store uses, which have proliferated throughout the County, have been found to be unsuitable for Retail Park locations due to the potential adverse impact on town, district and local centres.

 ·         The distinction between ‘discount stores’ or ‘ethnic food stores’ and other convenience goods stores is not recognised under the recently revised Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012) and all convenience goods floorspace is now treated in the same manner in terms of retail impact. All convenience floorspace is now considered to be more suited to town, district or local centres.