An Bord Pleanála has approved revised plans for a controversial €300m redevelopment of the harbour area of Greystones, Co Wicklow.
The board has attached 13 conditions to the plans, which were scaled down by around 10% after the board raised a number of concerns with the developers last year.
The approved proposals include plans for 341 units of apartments and houses, 5600sq.m of commercial space including restaurants and shops, a 230-berth marina, new facilities for local clubs and a new boardwalk. There will also be a new large public plaza.
In relation to an inert landfill which is on the site the board has agreed that it can stay, but has ordered that no houses be built on it.
The board has also requested that any materials being used for work being carried out around the beach area be brought in by sea, in order to lessen the impact on roads in the area.
Last summer, An Bord Pleanála informed the developers, Wicklow County Council and its private sector partner the Sispar Consortium, that it had deferred a decision on the plans, and sought further information and changes.
This led to the plans being revised, and the oral hearing being reopened in March of this year.
Opponents disappointed
The Greystones Protection and Development Association, which opposed plans for the redevelopment of Greystones Harbour, has said it is hugely disappointed with An Bord Pleanála's decision.
Spokesperson Evelyn Cawley said the size and scale of the plans were wrong for the area and were not a good fit.
She said the group had hoped for a further reduction in the style and size of the apartment development and redesign of the public space, but did not get it.
She described the 13 conditions attached by the board as of no great significance.
However, a spokesman for Wicklow County Council has said they are pleased with An Bord Pleanála's decision.
He said it had been a long process, which had begun with the compulsory purchase order in December 2004, and had involved two public hearings.
