Blow to hotelier as €50m centre plan blocked

BUSINESSMAN Jim Mansfield has expressed “extreme disappointment” at a decision by An Bord Pleanála to block his plans to build a €50m conference centre at his Citywest hotel and golf complex near Saggart, Co Dublin.

The decision by a 7-1 majority vote of the board could force the millionaire hotelier and prominent Fianna Fáil supporter to demolish unauthorised structural work on the 6,000-seater centre, at an estimated cost of around €15m.

It followed an appeal by An Taisce to the board after South Dublin County Council granted permission for the conference centre last November to Mr Mansfield’s development company, HSS, despite objections by a number of State bodies including the National Roads Authority and the Dublin Transportation Office.

However, two months earlier, the local authority had also issued an enforcement notice on HSS after council officials became aware Mr Mansfield had allowed construction work to begin on the site without waiting for the statutory period to allow for appeals.

A considerable amount of preparatory work on the centre has already been carried out and a large steel structural frame remains in place, although its future is now in considerable doubt.

Last January, Mr Mansfield admitted he was “technically wrong” to have begun construction on the project without full planning permission. He said he was anxious to have the conference centre ready in time to host some of the meetings being held in Dublin as part of Ireland’s presidency of the EU.

The case is also due to come up for hearing before Dublin District Court on June 15.

An Bord Pleanála overruled the board’s own inspector who had recommended granting planning permission for the centre which was seen by Mr Mansfield as the first phase of an €800m plan for the area.

The board explained its decision to reject planning permission for the site was because the conference centre is not located in a core commercial area of Dublin with easy access to public transport and other ancillary services. As such, the development contravened the policies set out in the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area, the board ruled. It also claimed the centre was in conflict with the zoning for its proposed location which recommended providing open space and recreational amenities.

Mr Mansfield issued a statement saying he and his management team were considering their position including the possibility of seeking a judicial review of the decision in the High Court.

He said he was surprised at the decision especially as both South Dublin County Council and the board’s inspector had been in favour of the project.

A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council said it now intends meeting with the developer to discuss the board’s decision. Senior planning official Ade Jacob said he hoped the unauthorised structure could be removed without the council having recourse to further legal action.

Mr Jacob said the council was also disappointed with the decision as it believed the proposal, which added to an existing 4,000-seater centre, did not represent a material contravention of its development plan.

Last night, a spokesperson for An Taisce welcomed the board’s ruling. The heritage body appealed the initial decision to grant planning permission for the centre after South Dublin County Council had failed to notify it as obliged under law.

The latest controversy marks another addition to Mr Mansfield’s dealings with various planning authorities. Planning permission for several, existing parts of the Citywest complex were acquired retrospectively leading to criticism by environmental groups and local residents.