Ranelagh residents win planning appeal against Mount Pleasant padel courts

A group of Ranelagh residents has won a planning battle to prevent Mount Pleasant Lawn Tennis Club from proceeding with its contentious padel court scheme.

An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) has overturned a planning permission granted by Dublin City Council in June for two of the three proposed padel courts and refused planning permission for the three-court scheme.

In response to the council’s initial decision, Mount Pleasant Square Residents’ Association lodged an appeal with ACP.

When the proposal was before Dublin City Council earlier this year, independent television producer Jane Gogan – the wife of broadcaster and author Eamon Dunphy – and food writer Susan Jane White were among the local residents to object.

In its ruling, ACP found that it had not been sufficiently demonstrated by the tennis club that the proposed development, including the proposed acoustic canopy and its design and height, would not result in an adverse effect on the special interest and the architectural heritage of the area due to its visual obtrusiveness.

ACP stated that it had regard to the special architectural quality of the subject site within its wider context, and its role as a central landscape element to the unified design, setting and character of the adjoining designated conservation area and the protected structures of Mount Pleasant Square that surround it.

ACP inspector, Claire McVeigh, said that a refusal was warranted “as the protection of the heritage value of Mount Pleasant Square should be prioritised when set against the provision of additional sporting facilities at Mount Pleasant Lawn Tennis Club”.

In the appeal, planning consultant for the residents, Kevin Hughes contended that the padel courts “will irreparably compromise the amenity of every dwelling located in Mount Pleasant Square and many residents on Ranelagh Road”.

The appeal listed Gogan and White as two of the 37 residents who lodged objections against the padel courts when the case was before the City Council.

The residents’ appeal was supported by an observation by the Irish Georgian Society which stated that the padel court scheme contravenes the Dublin City Development Plan.

On the noise impacts, McVeigh found that the applicant has adequately demonstrated that the predicted noise levels with mitigation are indicative of a low impact and that the specific sound source is not expected to give rise to adverse effects.