The co-owners of the Press Up Hospitality group, Paddy McKillen Jnr and Matthew Ryan have secured planning permission for contentious plans for a €182m apartment scheme for a site near Blackrock.
Last December, the businessmen's Oval Target Ltd lodged Strategic Housing Development (SHD) plans with An Bord Pleanála for a 493 unit scheme made up of 11 apartment blocks with one block rising to ten storeys in height on lands at St Teresa’s, Temple Hill, Monkstown, Blackrock.
However, in its decision, An Bord Pleanála has ruled that one five-storey block containing 41 apartments be removed from the scheme and that the use of a first floor in another block be changed from residential to childcare reducing the number of units further.
The appeals board has granted planning permission for the scheme on a site within one km of Blackrock village despite a 105 page report into the McKillen Jnr scheme by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council recommending that planning permission be refused.
Oval Target Ltd previously secured planning permission for 291 residential units in June 2019 on the same site in the face of some local opposition concerning aspects of the scheme and that permission remains in place.
In total, 41 objections were lodged with An Bord Pleanála against the new scheme including a number of group objections.
In their group objection to the scheme, the residents of St Vincent’s Park told An Bord Pleanála that both the density and building heights proposed in the plans exceed Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Plan "to an unacceptable level".
In granting planning permission for the scheme, the appeals board determined that the scheme would constitute an acceptable quantum and density of development in this accessible urban location and would not seriously injure the residential of visual amenities of the area.
The board also concluded that the scheme would be acceptable in terms of height, scale and mass.
The board stated that cognisant of the Council’s recommended reasons for refusal, it concluded that the development would not result in overbearance or undue overlooking of adjacent sites or within the proposed development site.
The board also concluded that the scheme would represent an acceptable standard of quality for the proposed accommodation.
The board further concluded that the height, scale and mass of the proposed development would be appropriate following amendments secured by condition.
As part of the original proposal, the company put an indicative price tag of €19.99 million on the sale of 50 apartments to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for social housing as part of the firm's Part V social housing obligations.
The number of Part V apartments to be sold to the Council will now be reduced on a pro-rata basis on the number of apartments now removed from the scheme.
The Part V documentation lodged on behalf of Oval Target put an indicative price of €512,747 on the three bedroom units, €484,978 on the larger two bedroomed units and €352,291 on the one bedroomed units.
