FF councillor angers local residents
Cllr. Brenda Clifford supports unauthorised beauty parlour
by P. Lanner

Local Fianna Fáil councillor, Brenda Clifford has greatly angered residents of Roselawn Road with her support for an illegal beauty salon on the road.

No. 96 Roselawn Road - a four bedroom semi-detached residence directly facing the busy junction with Delwood Road - was purchased last year by Caroline Armstrong and has since been illegally turned into a beauty salon operating six days a week, with late opening on three nights.

Following numerous complaints from local residents, Fingal County Council issued a warning letter to Ms. Armstrong instructing her to cease the unauthorised use of the premises.

Six weeks later Ms. Armstrong applied to the council for permission to retain this unauthorised use.

Making the application Ongar based architect Stephen Molloy claimed that his client “purchased the property with a view to moving into it as the main family residence. She also had the idea of opening up her own beauty salon business and thought the house would be ideal for this use.”

Mr. Molloy also attempts to make use of a section of the council’s current Development Plan by referring to the application as being for “retention of change of use...from residential use to ‘work from home unit’ as a beauty salon.”

According to the architect the council is seeking “to promote an enterprise culture in Fingal and encourage start up businesses.” He also quotes a further section of the Plan which proposes “to allow for the development of home based economic activities and small scale commercial economic activities carried out by residents of a dwelling which are subordinate to the main use of the property as residential accommodation...”

However this appears to be a misinterpretation of the development plan which clearly indicates that the concept of “home based economic activities” are directed at such work practices as “teleworking, hot desking and satellite offices...due to advances in IT that equip people to work from home.”

Local residents are horrified at this the attempt to operate the beauty parlour from the house and a number have lodged objections to the application.

They point out that Ms. Armstrong has already made changes to the front of the premises, not referred to in the application and that while the architect talks of only two rooms being used, their own observations clearly show that the entire ground floor is currently being used and that there has been no family residential use of the house since its purchase by Ms Armstrong.

When Community Voice visited the premises it was clear that the entire ground floor had been fitted out as a beauty salon. Despite what the planning application indicates, there is no longer a kitchen or reception rooms available for family usage. Attempts to discuss the matter with Ms. Armstrong proved inconclusive.

Cllr. Eithne Loftus (FG) debunks the architect’s arguments pointing out that “the service business that the applicant has introduced is of trifling economic importance.”

However Fianna Fáil’s Brenda Clifford obviously regards the beauty industry as playing a much more vital role in the economic well-being the Celtic Tiger. Supporting Ms. Armstrong with a perverse use of logic, she attempts to equate the business of a beauty salon with that of a doctor’s surgery. In her written submission to the planning officials, she argues that “in the past similar permissions were granted to other businesses, such as for example, doctor’s surgeries. I cannot see why this application should be treated any differently.”

Cllr. Clifford also suggests that there should be no parking problem caused by this unauthorised use of the house as “there are ample parking facilities available in the shopping centre across the road from this establishment.” This suggestion will certainly not win the councillor any votes from the tenants of the shopping centre who are paying for this car park through their rents and service charges.

One local shopkeeper who spoke to Community Voice said “this is an absolutely outrageous suggestion. This woman has started an illegal business in this house and now we have a politician, not only supporting her but also trying to annexe some of our scarce car parking places for this illegal business as well.”

Cllr. Clifford is obviously not pushing a particular Fianna Fáil line on the issue as her party colleague, Cllr. Mags Murray has also come to the defence of local residents and called on the planners to reject the application.

During visits to the premises Community Voice has noticed cars parked across neighbouring gateways and on two occasions cars were seen protruding out of the driveway and blocking the footpath for pedestrians.

Traffic in the area has long been an issue for local residents. Indeed 20 years ago, Roselawn Road was one of the first residential areas in Dublin to get traffic calming ramps installed because of the traffic situation. In recent years matters have disimproved further with the growth in rail commuter traffic on the road. Now attempts to change the use of this house into a business premises has, according to neighbours, created even greater traffic congestion around their homes and is affecting their quality of life.

Not so says Cllr. Clifford who argues that “the establishment in question is an addition to this area as it is providing a professional and valued facility that is being used by residents of the area.”

Some months ago another attempt to regularise an unauthorised business use of a premises on Roselawn Road by means of a “retention” application was refused by the planners. Local residents are hoping that on this occasion Fingal County Council will remain consistent, and despite the impassioned pleas of Cllr. Clifford, will refuse the application and insist on the house being restored to its previous condition as a domestic residence.

Community Voice, Media House, Church Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
Phone +353 1 822 1432 -  Fax +353 1 640 4444
info@communityvoice.ie

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