Uimhir Thagarta Uathúil: 
FIN-C453-1174
Stádas: 
Submitted
Údar: 
Kieran Foley

Sheet 7: Donabate-Portrane

I am a home owner in the cluster of houses on Turvey Avenue, and I fully support the proposed rezoning of land at Turvey Avenue from GE to Rural. I do so for the following reasons.

The land in question south of Turvey Avenue is a flood plain. I have lived in Turvey Avenue for over half a century and down through the years that land has flooded many times. I have seen where the water has risen to above the level of the old R132 to a point where the traffic on the old main Dublin Belfast road came to a standstill. The river must be protected as it flows from underground in Ballyboughal through Turvey and on through to Newbridge House and exists into Malahide Estuary. To develop this land could create unnecessary hardship for the owners of the industrial units south of the river if the water has no where to go during a massive flood or a rise in water levels. 

These lands should be kept as a buffer between existing industrial units and the houses on Turvey Avenue. We are one of the last remaining clusters in Fingal and we are in danger of being swallowed up by unnecessary development. There is plenty of land zoned for industrial units south of the river to Tesco warehouse that is not being utilised. I would also ask  Fingal County Council to consider protecting the acre of mature woodlands to the east of this flood plain. A previous owner destroyed mature trees on this land and they cannot be replaced. You cannot cut down a forty year old tree and replace it with a two year old tree. That would mean rezoning the lands on Turvey Avenue north of the river to Rural. Giving continuous buffer from the river to Turvey Avenue free from industrial development, outlined as the hatched area, see attached Map 2.

In late 2021 Fingal County Council carried out a survey of the traffic on Turvey Avenue and found that the heavy traffic was creating danger to the area as it was being used as a 'rat-run' into Donabate instead of using the purpose-built roundabout at the R132. Fingal County Council have put a weight restriction of 3.5 tonnes on Turvey Avenue to lessen the volume of traffic.

As part of the 'Adopt a Patch' group we have worked to try to maintain and improve our hedgerows, keeping our grass verges clean and tidy to try to leave something worthwhile for the next generation.

There has been 5 planning applications on this land and all were refused at different levels by Fingal County Council or Bord Pleanala.