{"id":429934,"date":"2026-05-03T08:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/429934\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T08:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:44:07","slug":"gonzaga-college-plan-for-additional-needs-school-is-appealed-to-planning-authority-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/429934\/","title":{"rendered":"Gonzaga College plan for additional needs school is appealed to planning authority \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plans by Dublin\u2019s Gonzaga College<\/a> to build a primary school for children with additional needs have been objected to on the basis of an impact to neighbouring properties which lie in a conservation zone \u201crecognised as one of Dublin 6\u2019s most attractive residential streets\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Jesuit order last year announced plans to close St Declan\u2019s special primary school on Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge<\/a>, Dublin, and build a new school on the Gonzaga grounds<\/a> in Ranelagh<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The planned sale of the Ballsbridge school would be used to fund the construction of the new seven-classroom school in an area occupied at present by a storage building, semi-derelict outbuildings and two disused residential buildings in the northwest of the Gonzaga campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current school located on Northumberland Road is no longer suitable for the needs of the students, housed as it is in an ageing Victorian residential premises over four levels,\u201d the order said.<\/p>\n

The new school complex, ranging from one to three storeys in height, would include sensory rooms, a library, multipurpose room and play spaces.<\/p>\n

Dublin City Council<\/a> granted permission for the development in March, saying the project would provide a \u201cmodern boys and girls primary school reusing previously vacant\/semi-derelict buildings\u201d. <\/p>\n

In addition, the development \u201cwould not result in the loss of any existing play areas, pitches or playing grounds within the existing school complex\u201d the local authority said. <\/p>\n

However, a local resident who owns two houses and a mews building next to the school\u2019s boundary has appealed the council\u2019s decision to An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la<\/a> on the grounds the location of the school was \u201cinappropriate\u201d and \u201cimposes severe negative impacts on surrounding residential property\u201d.<\/p>\n

The appeal, by planners MacCabe Durney Barnes on behalf of Antoinette Assaf of Park Drive, Ranelagh, noted the houses were in a residential conservation zone which was \u201cpart of Edwardian era suburb and is recognised as one of Dublin 6\u2019s most attractive residential streets\u201d.<\/p>\n

The proposed school would be immediately abutting the rear boundary wall of the three properties and the council\u2019s assessment of the impact on the residential amenity had been inadequate, the planners\u2019 submission said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the locations in the Gonzaga campus\u201d the chosen site was \u201cthe least suitable\u201d for a school. \u201cThe prime concentration of buildings within the Gonzaga school complex are at the centre of the campus away from sensitive boundaries with residential neighbourhoods,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe planning authority appear to be more concerned to preserve playing pitches for the school than evaluate the appropriate siting of the facility at the furthest point from existing school buildings, where any potential externalities are pushed on to adjoining residential streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The submission also raises concerns over the loss of trees. \u201cThe current boundary is characterised as a parkland setting, which allows natural light to permeate through to our client\u2019s garden and living space. All boundary planting will be lost,\u201d it said. \u201cThe sylvan setting of our client\u2019s rear garden will be completely degraded.\u201d<\/p>\n

The replacement of boundary planning with an \u201coverbearing solid boundary wall will have a profound and negative effect on the residential amenity of Park Drive gardens\u201d and would \u201csignificantly impact on the properties\u2019 attractiveness and value\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n

A decision on the appeal is due from the commission by the end of August.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plans by Dublin\u2019s Gonzaga College to build a primary school for children with additional needs have been objected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[75,17467,13288,12987,136602,61,60,43,40695],"class_list":["post-429934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-an-coimisiun-pleanala","tag-ballsbridge","tag-dublin-city-council","tag-dublin-6","tag-gonzaga-college","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-ranelagh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}