A company made up of high profile Irish developers has been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála to build a residential development at the former Solus light bulb factory premises at Corke Abbey in Bray, Co Dublin.

The site's former owner, the German discount supermarket chain Lidl, was refused planning permission in late 2004 for a 1,645sq m (17,707sq ft) discount store on the site.

Although Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council had given the thumbs up for the supermarket, An Bord Pleanála said it contravened the zoning objective "to protect or improve residential amenities".

This time around Sequel Properties, whose directors are Anthony Durkan, Christopher Bennett, Joan Pierce and Conor Kevany, were looking to build 88 apartments with balconies and terraced arranged in five blocks rising to five storeys. They were also looking to build 128 basement car-parking spaces.

In his appeal to An Bord Pleanála, Patrick Woods of Nypro Ltd, a nearby factory, submitted a noise report by Acoustic Associates (IRL) which found that the noise of equipment and normal factory activity at the site would be "totally unacceptable" to residents of the proposed development.

The board refused planning permission on the grounds of design, bulk, scale and massing of the proposed development, and the proximity of apartments to the boundaries of the site.

It said it would constitute overdevelopment and result in overlooking of the apartments to adjoining property and between apartments in the development.

"It is considered the proposed development would fail to provide an acceptable level of residential amenity, would result in a substandard level of accommodation and the poor quality of residential environment for future occupants of apartments," stated An Bord Pleanála.