Worries about the light-bellied brent goose have thwarted much-needed large-scale residential construction in Dublin, amidst an ongoing housing deficit. An Bord Pleanála has rejected a proposal for 330 flats, 60 assisted living units, and a number of commercial premises at the former Cadbury’s golf course site on Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock.
OTR Development Company had proposed the extensive housing project, which included six blocks of varying height from two to nine stories. The planned development area was surrounded by the Cadbury (Mondelez Europe) factory to the east, the old Chiver’s Jam factory to the north, and the Northside Retail Park to the west.
After Dublin City Council earlier this year also rejected the project due to goose-related concerns, the decision from the appeals board supports this previous rejection. Colin McBride, the board inspector, concluded in his 74-page report that the applicant didn’t prove beyond reasonable scientific doubt that the plan would not harm the geese significantly.
Consequently, the board concluded that it couldn’t be assured that the proposed construction, on its own or in conjunction with other projects, wouldn’t impair the sanctity of certain European conservation sites. These include the North Bull Island Special Protection Area (SPA), the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka SPA, along with the Baldoyle Bay SPA.
Tom Phillips + Associates, who were consulting for OTR, disagreed with the potential negative impacts on the geese from the proposed project. John Gannon, the director, highlighted that four years of specific site survey data indicated that geese had ceased using the Cadbury site, with no proof of any negative impact.
Gannon further emphasised the numerous feeding sites readily available in the Dublin Bay area, where the goose population had flourished, showing a growth of 230% increase over the past 23 years. Confirming another report, he pointed out that Dublin Bay’s light-bellied brent goose population was stable at 7,000 birds, a figure accepted by the Dublin City Council. He argued that the flats in the planned development were “urgently required given the existing housing crisis”.
Aside from worries about the geese, the board of appeals also ascertained that the plan amounted to a significant breach of the mixed-use zoning designated for the site, and it wouldn’t offer an appropriate standard of living for some potential inhabitants.