Blanchardstown Town Centre

Dublin 15

Overview

JSA Planning were advisors on Blanchardstown Town Centre for the last two decades on a wide range of developments including further phases of the town centre retail development, hotels, apartments, mixed uses, including preparation of overall masterplan setting out a vision for the future of Blanchardstown. Blanchardstown Town Centre is located within the Dublin City and Suburbs and a Level 2 ‘Major Town Centre’ in the Retail Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area under the Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) 2019. The town centre is one of the key retail locations within Fingal and the Greater Dublin Area.

JSA Planning Role

The recent expansion of the Blanchardstown Centre has focused on upgrading and expanding the town centre offer / retail environment and adding significant residential demand with a number of extensions and upgrades implemented over the last number of years. This includes key recent permissions in relation to the Central Mall extension, the Green Mall Entrance and extension, and the Red Mall extension, which are now all complete. A further planned improvement under the permitted Blue Mall extension will provide for additional food & beverage and associated public realm improvements.

JSA Planning have advised on and obtained planning permission for providing a more comprehensive mixed-use approach with a significant increase of integrated residential development in the Centre, in addition to the ongoing upgrade of the retail offer, and expansion of food & beverage and other supporting land uses. This related to the potential redevelopment of the existing surface car parks delivering on the compact development objectives, maximising the potential of the town centre location, in an area well served by existing and planned public transport improvements, which in turn supports moves towards more climate friendly urban development.

Outcome

A final grant was issued by Fingal County Council in June 2024 (following an appeal to An Bord Pleanála in respect of financial contributions only) for the first phase of residential development comprising of 348 no. apartments, a childcare facility, commercial units and supporting facilities.

A separate Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in May 2023 for an additional 971 no. apartments, a childcare facility and 7 no. commercial units in 7 no. buildings ranging from 1 no. to 16 no. storeys in height, over a basement level, and also provision of a Mobility Hub, with 7 no. levels, including a Place of Worship. The LRD received a notification of decision to grant permission within the 8 week period by the Planning Authority (with no further information request) and was granted on appeal by ABP within the 16 week target decision date. As part of this LRD it also included a draft Urban Framework Plan which was submitted with the application and essentially acted as a masterplanning process for the continued development of the Town Centre over the next 20/30 years, building on the previous Framework / Masterplan from 2009, and provided context on how the proposals evolved to ensure that the proposed development responds to the existing and planned context of the wider Blanchardstown Town Centre.

JSA Planning continue to provide planning consultancy services in respect to this Major Town Centre within the Dublin Metropolitan Area.