A primary school, a religious trust and An Taisce are objecting to plans for a 14-storey mixed-use proposal on the site of the former City Arts Centre at City Quay in Dublin 2.
Last month, Ventaway Ltd, headed up by developer David Kennan and Winthrop engineering group founder Barry English, lodged plans with Dublin City Council for the scheme.
The current plans follow An Bord Pleanála refusing planning permission last May to Ventaway to develop what would have been Dublin’s tallest building at 24 storeys for the same site.
Principal of City Quay National School Philip Kelly has told the council that the school’s board of management wish to object “in the strongest possible terms” to the new planning application.
Mr Kelly said that “should the development proceed, it will have a major negative impact on the ability of the school to deliver high-quality education to the pupils in our care”.
The school has 178 children enrolled and Mr Kelly said the 10-year planning permission sought “is entirely unacceptable and should not be facilitated”.
He said: “It is unnecessary and unreasonable and discards the rights of adjoining occupiers.”
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Mr Kelly contends that the sheer mass of the building “will present a claustrophobic and overpowering atmosphere both in the school building and in the schoolyard/playground”.
In addition the presence of such a high building directly adjoining the schooling “will introduce microclimate effects such as down draughts making the outside space even less attractive to the children”.
Mr Kelly states that the proposed development provides no planning gain for the local community
In a separate objection on behalf of St Laurence O’Toole Trust and The Administrator of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, planning consultant Declan Brassil states that the scheme “represents a significant overdevelopment of the site”.
Mr Brassil notes that the trust owns four properties in the vicinity — 7-8 City Quay, The Presbytery, 9 City Quay, The Church of the Immaculate Heart of May and City Quay National School.
Mr Brassil claims that the monolithic design and scale of the proposed building will visually overwhelm the adjoining properties.
Dublin city planning officer with An Taisce Kevin Duff has told the council that the proposal “lacks coherent architectural expression, appearing jumbled and consisting of too many parts and elements”.
The new plan is 61.05m tall, which is 46.95m lower than the scheme refused last May.
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