Dublin 3 residents oppose plans for apartment scheme

Local residents are opposing plans for a new 133 apartment unit in Dublin 3 on the city’s northside.

The plans call for a 10-storey large-scale residential development (LRD) for the Richmond Road on a site close to the Tolka river.

Malkey Ltd, a subsidiary of Roscommon native Michael Cox’s UK-based home builder Hollybrook Homes, lodged plans for the LRD on the site of the former Leydens Wholesalers & Distributors earlier this year.

The new scheme – comprising three blocks made up of 65 one-bed apartments and 68 two-bed apartments – represents phase two of an overall development where a Hollybrook Homes-connected firm has a proposed strategic housing development (SHD) scheme for 183 build-to-rent units currently before An Bord Pleanála.

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Planning consultants for the LRD before the city council, Thornton O’Connor, said the proposed development “represents a significant investment in a strategically located site, which is eminently suitable for a mixed-use development comprising artist studios, a creche, a gym, retail floor space and 133 residential units”.

Patricia Thornton has told the council that this is further supported by the site’s proximity to public transport, employment, services and facilities.

Ms Thornton has said “the proposed development will aid in regenerating the surrounding area, creating an active street frontage and contributing to employment in the vicinity”.

However, in response to the plans, residents said it is their “strong belief that this development is totally unsuitable for this site and will ruin the character of Richmond Road, as the proposed construction is excessive in scale overlooking existing residential properties and significantly reducing light and privacy”.

In an objection signed by more than 30 residents, it said the first phase of the development comprising a built-to-rent scheme “is only to drive large developer profits and will have a very negative impact on [the] immediate neighbourhood as well as the existing community in the Richmond Road area”.

Raising traffic concerns over the proposal, the residents said “the large scale of this development will also have a huge impact on the traffic, congestion and personal safety to the existing residents due to ongoing poor condition of the very narrow Richmond Road”.

They said the road is at a crawl, beyond traffic capacity during morning and evening rush hours, with no scope for improvement and outside of peak hours represents a real danger to pedestrians and cyclists due to cars driving quickly.