An Bord Pleanála has delivered a knock out blow to plans by Conor McGregor to construct a multi-million euro eight storey 113 unit apartment block in the MMA fighter's home area of Drimnagh, Dublin 12.
In a decision issued today, the appeals board has roundly rejected Mr McGregor's Emrajare Ltd mixed use scheme that involves the demolition of the Marble Arch pub that Mr McGregor purchased for a reported €1.5m to €2m three years ago.
Emrajare’s Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) application was to also involve the construction of a three storey to eight storey 113 unit apartment scheme and also a restaurant/bar/cafe, a gym, a retail unit on the 0.72 acre site at Benbulbin Rd, Drimnagh.
The MarbleArch LRD apartment scheme consisted of 57 two bed units, 53 one bed units and three studios.
The decision by An Bord Pleanála dismisses an appeal by McGregor's Emrajare against a planning refusal issued by Dublin City Council in January.
Over 20 objections were lodged against the scheme by locals and in a comprehensive rejection of the scheme, the appeals board has refused planning permission on three separate grounds.
In issuing its refusal, the appeals board has also discounted Mr McGregor’s bid to secure planning permission by offering to reduce the scale of the scheme by more than one third.
The appeals board has refused planning permission after concluding that the scheme would provide a significantly excessive density of units per hectare.
The appeals board also concluded that due to the lack of private amenity space for a significant number of the proposed apartments, it would be an inappropriate form of development at this location.
The board stated that the proposed development would therefore provide for substandard residential amenity and would seriously injure the existing amenities of the area.
The appeals board stated that due to the height scale, massing and density at the prominent corner site, the scheme would constitute overdevelopment of the site and of property in the vicinity throughsignificant overbearing and overlooking, especially of the existing houses on Galtymore Rd.
As a part of the McGregor appeal, it put forward an alternative 72 apartment six storey apartment block scheme proposal which was a 36pc decrease on the original eight storey scheme.
In response, the appeals board stated that it noted the revised proposals with the reduced scale and density but considered that the proposals had insufficient detail to enable the board to give this proposal the necessary consideration.
The board stated that in particular, it noted the lack of floor plans, Housing Quality Assessment and other documentation that would be required.
A number of objections were lodged by or on behalf of elderly people living for decades on the Galtymore Rd in Drimnagh against the MarbleArch LRD.
The Clancys, Maureen and Thomas live to the rear of the proposed Marble Arch Development and in their objection, Maureen Clancy stated: "My husband and I are in our 80th year and have health problems. I don’t want the wall at the end of my garden touched or upset.
Ms Clancy said: "The congestion of the road is dreadful. We worked hard enough to buy our home without getting all the crap that is going on and the fear of any high apartments behind us. We like our privacy. After all, it is not too much to ask for?"
In another objection, Joseph Dromgoole told the council that he was objecting to the ’scale’ of such a large development "on this very small space, not only does it look out of place but also is far too close to the existing houses that are on Galtymore Rd".
On behalf of Galtymore Rd residents, Kell and Mary Cheevers, chartered engineer, Michael Rogers has told the council that the applicants "are shoe-horning the maximum number of small units into the site, too close to neighbouring dwellings with no apparent regard for privacy or amenity of same"
In an objection lodged on behalf of the Drimnagh Residents Community Group, chairman, John Corr told the city council the group is strongly objecting "to the scale and the density of the planned Large Scale Residential Development".
He said: "This is an area consisting of two & three bedroom family homes built in the 1930’s with an ageing community, who stand to lose their peace of mind, privacy, and will encounter several years of disruption, noise and most of all devaluation of their properties."
Group CEO of McGregor Sports and Entertainment, Alan Geraghty is a director for Emrajare and and is a director of Mr McGregor’s other Irish firms.
The most recently filed accounts for Emrajare show that it had investment properties with a book value of €21.46m at the end of December 2022. The company had loans of €25.67m.
Mr McGregor has deep pockets to fund the MarbleArch LRD venture from the estimated hundreds of millions he has earned from his MMA career and business dealings.
According to figures from Forbes, McGregor was ranked 35th in its 2022 top highest earning athlete rankings earning $43m over a 12 month period before dropping off the list in 2023.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
