A major developer's 16-storey project in north Dublin has hit a roadblock
Gerry Gannon’s Clongriffin plan faces complaints it would lower local property values.
A 16-STORY RESIDENTIAL building planned by one of Ireland’s best-known developers has hit a stumbling block after complaints it would ‘tower over’ locals’ homes and lower property values.
Gerry Gannon’s Gannon Properties recently received approval from Dublin City Council to build a tower containing 139 residential units at Station Square in Clongriffin, north Dublin.
The block would consist of 14 three-bed, 97 two-bed, and 28 one-bed apartments, as well as 139 car parking spaces, meeting rooms, a gym, a cycle park and five retail units.
Gannon is one of the country’s most prolific boom-time developers. He was one of the so-called ‘Maple 10′ investors, who were part of a share-buying scheme in Anglo Irish Bank before its collapse in 2008.
The developer has been trying to build several projects in Clongriffin in recent years, many of which are low-rise residential schemes.
The area of north Dublin had been slated for major construction work during the boom, but much of the planned work stalled with the recession. The development at Station Square would be one of the tallest developments in the region to date.
The proposed site for the block
Appeal
While the scheme has been granted permission by the council, this decision has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by several parties.
Consultants acting on behalf of multiple companies that manage properties in the area have tried to get the decision overturned.
They represent management companies behind the nearby Myrtle complex, which has 361 residential units, and the Red Arches complex, which has 261 units.
A CGI render of the proposed block
“The proximity of the proposed development would impact on the general amenities amenity of the residents of the properties (our clients) manage,” the submission said.
“While our clients are happy to support the recommended heights proposed in the Clongriffin-Belmayne local area plan of seven to 10 storeys, the suggestion that 16 storeys would be acceptable is clearly wrong.
“By revising the height down to 10 storeys … the concerns of our clients, particularly in relation to residential amenity and devaluation of residential property prices, would be partially satisfied.”
A local residents association also objected to the planned 16-storey building, saying that any new buildings should be in keeping with the character of existing developments rather than “towering over them”.
Many of the current buildings in the area are about six storeys high.
Safety
The submission from the Grange Abbey Residents Association also said: “For safety reasons, if the building had to be evacuated, for example a fire, the higher the building the more difficult it would be for residents to exit it.”
An Bord Pleanála is due to make a final decision on the case in October.
Gannon Properties is also looking to get several other major developments in Clongriffin off the ground, including three tower blocks at Marsfield Crescent, the tallest of which would be 14 storeys high, as well as a hotel of more than 200 bedrooms.
