28/08/2026
Parking standards are failing new communities in Fingal
I’ve been contacted by many residents in Donabate, including Ballisk Park, who are struggling with reduced parking in new developments. National planning guidelines assume strong public transport but that simply isn’t the reality in Donabate, Lusk, Rush or wider Fingal area.
FCC has confirmed that Ballisk Park was built in line with its planning permission and national policy. However, planning permission has been granted for a number of developments now under construction based on assumed proximity to public transport and proposed improvements that have not happened.
Many people purchased homes in these new developments on the expectation that they would be able to reliably access bus and rail services, often based on glossy sales brochures and optimistic transport claims. The reality on the ground is very different.
Households here typically have one or two cars, yet new estates are being built with significantly fewer parking spaces. This is leaving families without adequate parking, causing overflow onto roads and creating daily frustration.
People can’t simply give up their cars when public transport remains unreliable and infrequent.
The reality is that this situation is going to get worse, because more developments have already been approved with minimal or reduced parking under national guidelines that do not reflect the transport conditions in Fingal. I raised these concerns during the planning process on many applications, but they were not taken on board.
Until public transport improves, reduced parking standards will continue to place pressure on residents and local roads. I will continue to raise this matter with FCC and the NTA, because planning policy must reflect the lived reality in Fingal, not transport service levels that do not exist.
