Planning permission has been granted for a residential development at the Old Tramyard in Dalkey, Co Dublin, ending an eight-year planning battle over the 19th century tramyard buildings.
Developers James Monaghan and Rodney Sheils have been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála to demolish the former tram sheds to make way for 20 apartments and four retail units at the prime 0.57-acre site on Dalkey's Castle Street.
The former tramyard site is near the Queens pub and the residential area, White's Villas, is to the rear.
In granting permission the planning board ruled that the original wrought iron gates on Castle Street must be retained and permanently fixed in an open position.
The scheme will also involve temporarily lifting and then reinstatement of the tram lines, which are protected structures. A previous planning application for 28 apartments and four commercial units was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in 2005.
Since 1999 a series of planning applications for the site have been refused by either the planning authority or the planning board.
These developments have been strenuously opposed by local groups and An Taisce.
Most recently, in 2005, An Bord Pleanála refused permission, overruling its inspector's recommendation to grant permission on the grounds of the limited extent of the site and its proximity to residential property. Last year, however, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council granted permission for the most recent project.
Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre and Dalkey Community Council were among those who appealed this decision to grant permission to the planning board.
In their appeal Dalkey Community Council highlighted the village's status as a conservation area.
It argued that the height of the development would dominate the nearby Queens pub, a protected structure, and surrounding two-storey houses.
They also pointed out that the proposal was just a variation on a similar scheme that has been refused permission by An Bord Pleanála on three previous occasions.
