Property developer Seán Dunne has said he is "hopefully confident" that he will receive planning approval for his 37-storey apartment tower and seven associated buildings in Ballsbridge by the end of February. Tim O'Brienreports.
However, Mr Dunne said he fully expected the development to be appealed to An Bord Pleanála and may even appeal himself if he received an unfavourable decision from Dublin City Council.
In the recently renamed and reopened Ballsbridge Court Hotel - one of the two landmark hotels acquired from the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group for a reported €380 million - Mr Dunne yesterday dismissed a decision by Ballsbridge area councillors not to back his high-rise plans.
He said the scheme was justified by the need to consolidate the development of Dublin which had spread, low-rise, up to 100km from the centre of Dublin since the 1960s.
Building costs for the scheme - excluding land costs - would amount to €700 a square foot. The total size of the proposed development was 280,000sq ft, he said. This would put the construction cost at about €200 million on top of the €280 million site cost.
Asked if he was concerned about the reaction of councillors to his project, he said the planning decision would be made by the city executive, the professional planners and the city manager. In relation to the councillors' opinions, Mr Dunne added: "They might as well say Jackie Healy Rae should not be a TD for South Kerry".
Mr Dunne said his planning application was lodged last August and the city council had requested additional information, mainly regarding issues of traffic and waste water. He said this information would be available and submitted to the council by the end of this year. Dublin City Council would then have eight weeks in which to respond, he said.
Asked if he would take a "pro-active" appeal to An Bord Pleanála if the city rejected his application, he said: "It usually ends up there anyway. I'd say I'd have no choice."