Tetrarch’s Heavenly Inspiration Under Fire From Residents
Last month, Tetrarch subsidiary WSHI Unlimited Co lodged plans with Fingal County Council for a cemetery in Deer Park, that would include 5,806 traditional burial plots.
The plans, as they stand would net Tetrarch a tidy profit and with plot prices costing up to €2,280, the developer stands to generate €13.23 million from the sale of the 5,806 traditional burial plots over the lifetime of the cemetery.
However, a number of our local residents’ groups, including the Howth Sutton Community Council, the Old Castle Avenue Residents’ Association and the Smith/Offington Residents Association, are taking up the cudgels and have lodged objections against the scheme.
In a 16-page objection, planning consultant Andrew Hersey, on behalf of the Howth Sutton Community Council, contended that “such a facility is not needed in the Howth peninsula and certainly is not needed at such a scenic location on lands zoned for High Amenity purposes”.
Mr Hersey stated: “There are already sufficient cemeteries within a 10km radius of the proposed development site which could serve the population of Howth and the surrounding hinterland … there is no requirement for a cemetery at this location.”
The chair of the Old Castle Avenue Residents’ Association, Norma O’Mahony, told the council that the Howth Special Amenity Area is extremely valuable both as a public amenity and economic endowment for the residents of Fingal.
Working on behalf of Tetrarch, planning consultant, Aoife McCarthy of Tom Phillips + Associates, told the council that the construction and operational phases of the proposed cemetery had the potential to generate significant direct and indirect employment and economic activity in Howth. Their submission added: “Moreover, the development of a cemetery at this location is considered to represent an efficient use of lands at this location, providing green infrastructure and supporting ecological biodiversity.”
Tetrarch’s latest plans are typical of its “hopscotch” approach to developing Deer Park. In short It is has neither a vision for the area nor an interest, other than an economic one. But given its plans for a cemetery on what is zoned a High Amenity area, bodes well for its faith in a propitious after life for us all!
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