Could it be second time lucky for Kingscroft Developments on Stillorgan Road in Foxrock?
Last autumn the developer, a subsidiary of publicly listed home builder Abbey, lost its appeal to replace a derelict house named Funchal with nine three-storey family homes, on the grounds that it wasn’t high density enough. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown council remarked in its refusal that the site had a proposed density of just 32 units to the hectare, which was “an inefficient, wasteful and unsustainable use of serviced, zoned land”. The council typically encourages developments near the N11 quality bus corridor to have a density of more than 50 units a hectare.
Now it's applying again for planning permission to demolish the two existing properties – Funchal and Garryknock – on the 0.48 hectare site, close to Foxrock church on Stillorgan Road. This time, however, it's looking to replace them with 29 units in total (which would give it a density of almost 58 hectare).
The development will consist of two four-storey apartment buildings and eight three-storey semi-detached houses, ranging from 2,000-2,147sq ft.
The first apartment building would consist of three one-bed apartments; nine two-beds; and two three-beds. The second building would have three one-beds, three two-beds and one three-bed apartment, and the site will also have 46 car parking spaces.
Kingscroft is also proposing a change to how the site would be accessed, permanently closing the existing vehicle and pedestrian entrances, as well as closing access from the neighbouring Fairways residential development.
Access would be via a new single entrance from Stillorgan Road.
If the planning gets approval, it will bring to an end more than a decade-long effort to redevelop the site. Back in 2004, the then owners applied to build 14 properties on the site, before the Funchal Partnership, which included Foxrock local Paul Inglis, acquired it looking to build four substantial detached houses. Kingscroft then bought the site for €1.75 million in 2014 and has been looking to build on it since.
