Dublin City Council has granted planning permission to Ardstone for a €300 million 'buy to sell' apartment scheme near Milltown in Dublin.
The city council has given the green light to Ardstone subsidiary, Sandford Living Ltd’s 636 unit Large Scale Residential Scheme application for Milltown Park, Sandford Road, Dublin 6 despite strong local opposition.
The council planner’s report recommended that planning permission be granted after pointing out that the site "will provide for a large number of residential units in a highly sought after existing residential area which is located in an area within close proximity to employment, public transport and a range of services and facilities".
The report states that the development is made up of 50% of units being either studio and one bed units finding that the development "will provide the required public open space to the east of the site fronting onto Sandford Road and Milltown Road which exceeds 25% of the site, in addition to a woodland area to the north of the site".
The council found that the development "has been designed and landscaped to cater for the residents within the development but also for the community".
The 48 page planner's report found that the density of the scheme "is considered to be suitable given its location and the site is within walking distance to Luas and a number of bus routes".
The scheme is to be made up of 87 studios, 227 one bed units, 296 two bed units and 26 three bed units across seven apartment blocks with one rising to 10 storeys in height.
In 2019, Ardstone spent €65 million to buy the Jesuit Order lands at Sandford Road near Milltown.
Underlining the scale of the scheme, the council has ordered the developers to pay €4.79 million in planning contributions in one of the 33 conditions attached to the grant of permission.
The council received over 100 third party submissions and the number of third party objections makes it highly likely that the scheme will be decided by An Bord Pleanala on appeal.
One resident, Clare Doherty of Upper Cherryfield Avenue, Ranelagh told the council that she understands that there is an urgent requirement for housing in Dublin "but believes a more suitable and sustainable development plan needs to be put in place for this site"
Ms Doherty told the council that "the height and density of the proposed development is not in keeping with the residential nature of the surrounding area".
Susan and Philip Browne of Cherryfield Avenue Lower, Ranelagh argued that the proposal "will have a negative social impact on the neighbourhood".
In a submission, the Brownes stated "that the 10-storey building offers no privacy to the houses in the area. Two storey buildings would be much more welcomed".
Declan Collier and Jan Winter of Sandford Rd, Ranelagh told the Council that "the highest building at 10 storeys is out of character with the area and provides too much oversight of the existing neighbourhood properties, depriving the residents of privacy".
The two stated that the proposed development will result in more than 300 additional vehicles adding further congestion to already over-taxed roads.
Andrew O’Hanlon of Clonskeagh Rd contended in a submission that the application for nine/ten storeys "is completely unacceptable and is just developer greed".
Amy Stephenson of Terenure Rd West told the council that "I believe more housing is needed in this city. But this planned development does not adequately answer the housing problem".
Ms Stephenson said: "The proposed size and scale of this development is completely out of character with the surrounding area."
David Brophy and Tara Jennings of Cherryfield Avenue Lower told the council that the scheme should be refused planning permission on a number of grounds including "that there is no capacity in local primary schools within walking distance to accommodate the number of children the developers anticipate living within a development at this scale".
Olivia O’Reilly of Millbrook Court, Millbrook Rd told the council that "if this development proceeds at the scale and density proposed, it will significantly detract from and alter the physical character and fabric of the Milltown Park site and its environs".
Ms O’Reilly stated that it will greatly impact on our quality of life and will have a negative impact on the local residential community, ecology q§a1§qa and value of our homes
Chair of the Eglinton Residents Association, Robin Mandal has stated that "we believe that due to the excessive heights, bulk and density of the application on this site, the proposed buildings will be overbearing and out of scale with the area".
Mr Mandal claimed that this overdeveloped scheme "will damage our community beyond repair".
Ardstone received planning permission from An Bord Pleanala in December 2021 for a mainly build-to-rent apartment complex on the 10-acre site.
However, after An Bord Pleanala consented to a High Court challenge against the planning permission last October, Ardstone stated that the decision "will regrettably add considerable and unnecessary delay as well as added expense to the delivery of much-needed housing units in the city centre".
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
