Plan to build a new town near old landfill receives hundreds of objections

The plans to build 18,500 homes at Dunsink in north Dublin have caused huge controversy.

Almost 400 objections submitted to Fingal County Council.

Located on more than 1,000 acres, it could potentially house a population of more than 46,000, making it the biggest town in the State.

Fingal council has published a draft Dunsink Urban Area Plan to develop the land beside Finglas, Ashtown, Castleknock and Blanchardstown, in three phases, mostly of apartments, in blocks up to 15 storeys tall.

The landfill, once Dublin’s largest dump, closed more than 20 years ago.

However, the council said, “given its previous use, this area has limited development potential”.

Large numbers of submissions on the draft plan, made in advance of the deadline last Friday, said the health and environmental impacts of disturbing the dump remained a big concern.

Scribblestown Residents Association said it was not opposed to housing, but was concerned about leachate and gases escaping through excavation near the landfill.

“Closed landfills generate gases for decades after their closure,” it said. “Exposing decades of toxic chemicals and toxic waste into the local environment is a huge risk.”

Several submissions were opposed to the plan in principle.

“I personally don’t want to be looking at high-rise apartments. Build them elsewhere like Castleknock & surrounding areas. Finglas people are proud of their heritage & it should be left alone. We are not idiots that will take any bulls**t from anyone; leave our land, streets & roads alone,” wrote one resident.

"Thousands of houses without the services, schools, hospitals, roads, public spaces etc to match. Already FCC area is  struggling massively. Enough is enough. Major overdevelopment in one area," another said.

The council said all submissions will be taken into consideration before a report is presented to councillors.