Another major residential scheme in south Co Dublin, which had been given the green light by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, has been refused by An Bord Pleanála on design and amenity grounds.
Upholding appeals by An Taisce and local residents against plans by Cork-based developer John Fleming for 405 apartments at Glencairn, Murphystown Road, the board cited its "generally excessive height, scale, bulk and mass" as the main reason for refusal.
The site of 2.3 hectares (5.5 acres) was carved out of the grounds of the British ambassador's residence at Glencairn. Proposals for its development caused enormous controversy locally, with residents of nearby houses blocking the road in protest at one stage.
The scheme, designed by Horan Keogan Ryan, was laid out in six blocks, mainly five to eight storeys high, and would have provided 71 one-bedroom apartments, 292 two-bedroom units and 42 three-bedroom units, as well as a creche and 639 car parking spaces.
By a majority of six to one, the board said the density, at 170 units a hectare (71 units an acre), would be "excessive for an outer suburban greenfield site" and would contravene the county council's development plan and the 1999 residential density guidelines.
A proposed 17-storey tower - the most controversial element of the scheme - would be "visually obtrusive and out of character in this area, notwithstanding its location in proximity to . . . the M50", and would "seriously injure" the visual amenities of the area.
The proximity of apartments to the M50, the height of the blocks and their disposition and proximity to one another would "seriously injure the residential amenities" of future occupants of the development, through noise, overshadowing and overlooking.
The board also cited "micro-climatic effects, including severe wind effects, on the safety of their apartments". It also criticised "the viability and utility of the communal open space areas", all of which would produce "a poor standard of living environment".
Another reason given for refusing permission was the preponderance of small one- and two-bedroom apartments in the scheme, its lack of larger units and absence of family-type accommodation. As a result, it would not provide an "appropriate mix of housing types".
An Bord Pleanála's decision to reject it was the fourth major reverse in recent months for the council's planners. The other refusals were for large-scale residential schemes in Stillorgan, Churchtown and Beech Hill, off Clonskeagh Road.
Board chairman John O'Connor, who signed the Churchtown and Beech Hill decisions, recently complained about the poor quality of many large-scale residential schemes coming before the board which showed "scant regard" for location or the amenities of residents.
