Cairn Homes is due to commence works on the first phase of its €345 million, 608-unit apartment scheme on former RTÉ lands this week.
The move by the home-builder to commence construction works comes almost eight years after Cairn Homes agreed a €107.5m deal with RTÉ in June 2017 to purchase just under nine acres of lands at RTÉ's Donnybrook headquarters.
The commencement of the construction works follows Cairn Homes issuing a formal site commencement notice on its mixed-use, multi-phase development at Montrose.
The initial phase of work will consist of residential construction in the northwest corner of the site.
This will include enabling works for the future development of the wider site, as well as the start of residential development within one of the blocks, Block 10 which is to comprise 15 residential units.
The move to commence construction also follows 18 months after An Bord Pleanála granted a ten year planning permission to Cairn Homes Montrose Ltd for 608 apartments in nine blocks ranging in height from two storeys to 10 storeys and comprising 272 build to sell units and 336 build to rent.
However, in a split decision the appeals board refused permission for the ’landmark’ 16-storey tower component of the scheme that was to include a 192-bedroom hotel and 80 apartments.
In a submission to the appeals board last year, Cairn Homes confirmed that it is to lodge a new Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) application in the first quarter of this year to address the omission of Block 5, the 16 storey tower containing the planned hotel.
In its submission, Cairn told the appeals board that it is intended that a new LRD application will be lodged in Q1 2025 for reinstatement of Block 5, "albeit with reduced height, amended design and potentially amended uses".
Cairn Homes’ plans for the former RTÉ site have met with strong local opposition and Cairn Homes Montrose told An Bord Pleanala "there is a high risk of litigation against a future grant of permission, having regard to the history of litigation against a previous permission".
Cairn Homes has stated that it is its experience that decisions subject to judicial review can take up to 18 months.
Cairn Homes revealed its intentions to lodge new plans for the site in an unsuccessful appeal to An Bord Pleanála against Dublin City Council’s decision to subject its former RTÉ landbank to the Residential Land Zoned Tax (RZLT) which is aimed at reducing land-hoarding by landowners.
Cairn agreed a deal to purchase the lands for €107.5 million in June 2017 and in March 2019, Cairn Homes ceo, Michael Stanley said that Cairn Homes hoped to commence construction on the site in 2020.
The current permission in place was Cairn Homes’s second attempt to build on the lands and a previous planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála was quashed by the High Court arising from an action taken by three Ailesbury Rd residents, Chris Comerford, John Gleeson and Pat Desmond.
The current application came before An Bord Pleanála after six third party appeals were lodged against the decision by Dublin City Council to grant planning permission for the entire scheme in December 2022.
The appellants included wife of billionaire, Dermot Desmond, Pat Desmond and Ailesbury Rd neighbours in D4 along with the Republic of Austria which has its Embassy on Ailesbury Rd.
In his conclusions, Board inspector, Rónán O’Connor concluded that the proposed development would result "in a significant contribution to the housing stock, in a time of housing need".
He said: "The provision of a development of the nature and scale of proposed development at this location is desirable having regard to its location on a main thoroughfare into the city, close to Donnybrook Village, and within 3.5km of the city centre.
Mr O’Connor also concluded that the scale of development is appropriate due to the site’s proximity "to high, frequency, high capacity bus services, and having regard to the existing pedestrian and cycle infrastructure facilities".
Mr O'Connor stated that he was satisfied that "the height, bulk and massing, detailed design and layout of the scheme are acceptable, and that furthermore, the proposed development would result in significant positive impacts on visual amenity of the area, when viewed from particular locations, and would result in significant positive impacts on architectural heritage".
Mr O'Connor recommended that planning be granted for the entire development including the hotel component concluding that the scheme also complies with the additional 'exceptional circumstances’ criteria that apply to taller landmark buildings proposed on sites such as this one.
He said: "The future occupiers of the scheme will also benefit from a high standard of internal amenity."
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
