AN BORD Pleanála has ruled against a developer who proposed building townhouses with sunken gardens instead of the leisure facility he originally got planning permission for.
Developer Wesley Curran's Otranto Properties got the thumbs up in February from the planning board to build 56 apartments in two blocks at Mackey's Garden Centre and Harry Byrne's at 1 Castle Close on Castlepark Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin.
The planning permission included a single storey building with a gym, janitor's office, basement and a 16m swimming pool.
But Otranto then sought to ditch the leisure centre and build three two-storey-over-basement townhouses with sunken gardens and terraces instead.
It was also looking to add four more apartments to an apartment block by reducing the size of three apartments and making the floor area of the building bigger.
An Bord Pleanála criticised the proposal to replace the health facilities building, saying that it would reduce the usable open space and recreational amenities associated with the proposed building to unacceptable levels. Regarding the proposal to build an additional four apartments, it said the resulting increase in the scale of the block would cause overlooking and visual dominance to adjoining residential property .
