Two months after being refused planning permission for the high rise Spencer Dock office and apartment scheme in the Dublin docklands, Treasury Holdings executives John Ronan and Richard Barrett have failed to get approval for a seven-storey office block at Mespil Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Mr Ronan and Mr Barrett sought permission through one of their companies, Bracadale Ltd, for 180,000 sq ft of offices and 75 car-parking spaces at double basement level on Mespil Road, even though they had already got approval for 257,000 sq ft in two interlinking L-shaped seven-storey blocks at the junction of Mespil Road and Burlington Road.
The higher density scheme sought for Mespil Road was to have replaced Pelican House, the headquarters of the Blood Transfusion Service.
However, the planners ruled that the new-style Mespil Road scheme would differ significantly from the original planning permission, which was designed to ensure the protection of the residential amenities of the adjacent dwellings. They said that the earlier decision to approve the interlinking buildings was "the ideal form for the site, given its constraints, and therefore the permitted floor area should be the maximum allowable."
The planning inspector, Norman Boyd, reported that the latest application was essentially an attempt to increase the floor area from 119,436 to 180,482 sq ft. The effect of this would be to increase the plot ratio from 2.74 to 3.29 "which is significantly in excess of other similar developments in the general area". He said that if approved, this scheme would set an undesirable precedent for similar developments.
Bracadale's decision to seek permission for a higher density on Mespil Road reopens the question of whether permission should ever have been granted for the demolition of Pelican House, one of the most notable office blocks dating from the 1960s. Conservationists are opposed to the demolition of the 40,000 sq ft block and its attractive courtyard and gardens.
When Bracadale originally secured permission for the combined scheme on Mespil Road and Burlington Road, it was announced that Bank of Ireland Asset Management (BIAM) would be relocating to the Mespil Road section. Last month, BIAM confirmed that terms had been agreed with the promoters. However, Jim McMahon of BIAM, said last Friday he had "no comment to make" when asked if the latest planning refusal would affect his company's relocation. He said queries should be addressed to the developers.
There was no response this week from Treasury Holdings.
