Neighbouring Georgian houses in planning dispute over building of new home on property

AN APPEAL HAS been lodged with An Bord Pleanála over the granting of planning permission for the development of a residential property just a few hundred metres from St Stephen’s Green in Dublin 2. In February, Dublin City Council approved the redevelopment of the rear of No.10 Ely Place, which is itself a protected Georgian building, on a number of conditions. The owners of the adjoining No.9 building, however, have appealed the decision, claiming that they have a right of way to the laneway which will be infringed where the property will be built and that the plans are not compliant with development standards.

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Approval for Dunne's Ballsbridge proposal

SIX YEARS since paying €379 million for the seven-acre site Seán Dunne has been granted planning permission to redevelop the former Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels in Ballsbridge.

But all talk of transforming Ballsbridge into the “new Knightsbridge” or creating a “Manhattan-like lifestyle” was gone yesterday as Mr Dunne said it would be at least five years before any work started.

He also thanked the banks and hotel customers for their support in “extremely difficult times for bankers, investors and the public”.

Mr Dunne’s more humble tone was reflected in the redesigned development.

Gone is the proposed 37-storey “diamond-cut” tower, embassy block and large-scale retail, to be replaced with a largely residential scheme with buildings no taller than 12-storeys.

While this is still considerably taller than the prevailing building height, it is a world apart from the “landmark” building, originally proposed by Mr Dunne to realise the value of the site bought in 2005 at more than €50 million an acre in one of the biggest property deals in the history of the Irish State.

A leading commercial property valuer yesterday said the entire site could now be worth €50 million, if indeed such a sale could be achieved. The permission granted by An Bord Pleanála includes the demolition of the old hotels, operating as D4Hotels, and the construction of 490 apartments in 11 blocks ranging in height from six to 12 storeys.

A 151-bedroom hotel, a restaurant, cafe, bars, creche and healthcare facility is also planned.

The 27,000sq m of retail space proposed in the original plans will now take up 2,000sq m of the new development and the office space which was intended to occupy 42,000sq m i s gone.

Perimeter trees and railings, which were set for removal last time around, will be retained.

Investors or house-hunters anxious to own a part of what was one of the most notorious development sagas of the property boom, will have to wait however.

The former Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels continue to operate as D4Hotels and the The Doyle Hotel Group has the right to lease or purchase the hotel until October 2017.

Mr Dunne’s Mountbrook Group confirmed “any development will not commence for at least five years”.

However, the group would not say whether the development as approved by the planning board would ultimately proceed.

“I would like to thank our customers of D4Hotels and our funders Ulster Bank, ACC Bank and Kaupthing Singer Friedlander who have been most supportive of the D4Hotels’ operation and planning process in extremely difficult times for bankers, investors and the public,” Mr Dunne said.

€379m deal: Troubled history from day one

EVEN AT a time when the property boom was at its boomiest, to paraphrase a former taoiseach, there were gasps at the telephone number-sized sum developer Seán Dunne paid for two hotels in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

In summer 2005 Mr Dunne bought Jurys Hotel for €53.7 million an acre, and then snapped up the Berkeley Court for €57.5 million an acre, which resulted in a total spend on the almost seven-acre site of €379,000,000.

In August 2007, two weeks after closing down the two hotels, Mr Dunne made his first application to Dublin City Council to redevelop the site. The €1.5 billion scheme included a plan for a 37-storey, 132m residential tower which would be “cut like a diamond”, as well as a multistorey embassy complex and office block, a 232-bedroom luxury hotel and an underground shopping mall.

In March 2008, two months after Mr Dunne reopened the hotels as D4Hotels, the council granted permission for most of the development, apart from the 37-storey building.

Mr Dunne appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála. His appeal was one of 127 made to the board, an unprecedented number. Some 30 appeals were from those who wanted the scheme rejected, including politicians and local residents, among them financier Dermot Desmond who warned that the proposed 15-storey embassy block would be a “sitting duck” for terrorists.

However, there were a surprising number of submissions in favour of the project. Appellants in favour included Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, cultural adviser for the project, public relations consultant Bill O’Herlihy and Shrewsbury Road resident Michael Maughan, founder of WHPR, as well as four solicitors firms, three builders and four estate agents/chartered surveyors.

Following a lengthy public hearing in late 2008 the board refused permission in January 2009 saying the plans represented a “gross overdevelopment” of the site and were in conflict with the council’s own Dublin City Development Plan.

The board agreed with its inspector, Tom Rabbette, who conducted the month-long hearing that the scheme was too tall, too intensive, would have a bad impact on the existing area and would contravene the development plan in bringing excessive retail and office development to the site.

However, the board went further than its inspector, who concentrated on the effect of the development on the surrounding area, and said it was not satisfied that the apartments would be a pleasant place to live.

In October 2009 Mr Dunne returned to the council with a significant scaled back proposal. The 37-storey tower, which had, Mr Dunne and his architects said been essential to the original scheme was gone, as were the embassy and retail buildings.

The new proposals were for a more modest a €300 million scheme with a 15-storey tower and a 135-bedroom hotel. The plans were approved by the council in August 2010, but were again appealed to An Bord Pleanála by 21 parties, who this time were largely opposed to the project.

Again the board’s inspector, this time Andrew Boyle, recommended rejection in similar terms to Mr Rabbette saying it amounted to a “gross overdevelopment and over intensification of use of this site”.

The board, however, yesterday granted permission, citing that it had sought changes following Mr Boyle’s report. Mr Dunne can proceed with a largely residential scheme involving a 12-storey tower. Perhaps not quite the “Manhattan-like” lifestyle he originally proposed, but maybe offering a future for the site.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Approval for Dunne's Ballsbridge proposal

SIX YEARS since paying €379 million for the seven-acre site Seán Dunne has been granted planning permission to redevelop the former Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels in Ballsbridge.

But all talk of transforming Ballsbridge into the “new Knightsbridge” or creating a “Manhattan-like lifestyle” was gone yesterday as Mr Dunne said it would be at least five years before any work started.

He also thanked the banks and hotel customers for their support in “extremely difficult times for bankers, investors and the public”.

Mr Dunne’s more humble tone was reflected in the redesigned development.

Gone is the proposed 37-storey “diamond-cut” tower, embassy block and large-scale retail, to be replaced with a largely residential scheme with buildings no taller than 12-storeys.

While this is still considerably taller than the prevailing building height, it is a world apart from the “landmark” building, originally proposed by Mr Dunne to realise the value of the site bought in 2005 at more than €50 million an acre in one of the biggest property deals in the history of the Irish State.

A leading commercial property valuer yesterday said the entire site could now be worth €50 million, if indeed such a sale could be achieved. The permission granted by An Bord Pleanála includes the demolition of the old hotels, operating as D4Hotels, and the construction of 490 apartments in 11 blocks ranging in height from six to 12 storeys.

A 151-bedroom hotel, a restaurant, cafe, bars, creche and healthcare facility is also planned.

The 27,000sq m of retail space proposed in the original plans will now take up 2,000sq m of the new development and the office space which was intended to occupy 42,000sq m i s gone.

Perimeter trees and railings, which were set for removal last time around, will be retained.

Investors or house-hunters anxious to own a part of what was one of the most notorious development sagas of the property boom, will have to wait however.

The former Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels continue to operate as D4Hotels and the The Doyle Hotel Group has the right to lease or purchase the hotel until October 2017.

Mr Dunne’s Mountbrook Group confirmed “any development will not commence for at least five years”.

However, the group would not say whether the development as approved by the planning board would ultimately proceed.

“I would like to thank our customers of D4Hotels and our funders Ulster Bank, ACC Bank and Kaupthing Singer Friedlander who have been most supportive of the D4Hotels’ operation and planning process in extremely difficult times for bankers, investors and the public,” Mr Dunne said.

€379m deal: Troubled history from day one

EVEN AT a time when the property boom was at its boomiest, to paraphrase a former taoiseach, there were gasps at the telephone number-sized sum developer Seán Dunne paid for two hotels in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

In summer 2005 Mr Dunne bought Jurys Hotel for €53.7 million an acre, and then snapped up the Berkeley Court for €57.5 million an acre, which resulted in a total spend on the almost seven-acre site of €379,000,000.

In August 2007, two weeks after closing down the two hotels, Mr Dunne made his first application to Dublin City Council to redevelop the site. The €1.5 billion scheme included a plan for a 37-storey, 132m residential tower which would be “cut like a diamond”, as well as a multistorey embassy complex and office block, a 232-bedroom luxury hotel and an underground shopping mall.

In March 2008, two months after Mr Dunne reopened the hotels as D4Hotels, the council granted permission for most of the development, apart from the 37-storey building.

Mr Dunne appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála. His appeal was one of 127 made to the board, an unprecedented number. Some 30 appeals were from those who wanted the scheme rejected, including politicians and local residents, among them financier Dermot Desmond who warned that the proposed 15-storey embassy block would be a “sitting duck” for terrorists.

However, there were a surprising number of submissions in favour of the project. Appellants in favour included Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, cultural adviser for the project, public relations consultant Bill O’Herlihy and Shrewsbury Road resident Michael Maughan, founder of WHPR, as well as four solicitors firms, three builders and four estate agents/chartered surveyors.

Following a lengthy public hearing in late 2008 the board refused permission in January 2009 saying the plans represented a “gross overdevelopment” of the site and were in conflict with the council’s own Dublin City Development Plan.

The board agreed with its inspector, Tom Rabbette, who conducted the month-long hearing that the scheme was too tall, too intensive, would have a bad impact on the existing area and would contravene the development plan in bringing excessive retail and office development to the site.

However, the board went further than its inspector, who concentrated on the effect of the development on the surrounding area, and said it was not satisfied that the apartments would be a pleasant place to live.

In October 2009 Mr Dunne returned to the council with a significant scaled back proposal. The 37-storey tower, which had, Mr Dunne and his architects said been essential to the original scheme was gone, as were the embassy and retail buildings.

The new proposals were for a more modest a €300 million scheme with a 15-storey tower and a 135-bedroom hotel. The plans were approved by the council in August 2010, but were again appealed to An Bord Pleanála by 21 parties, who this time were largely opposed to the project.

Again the board’s inspector, this time Andrew Boyle, recommended rejection in similar terms to Mr Rabbette saying it amounted to a “gross overdevelopment and over intensification of use of this site”.

The board, however, yesterday granted permission, citing that it had sought changes following Mr Boyle’s report. Mr Dunne can proceed with a largely residential scheme involving a 12-storey tower. Perhaps not quite the “Manhattan-like” lifestyle he originally proposed, but maybe offering a future for the site.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

O'Brien is cleared for D4 project

COMMUNICATIONS tycoon Denis O'Brien has been given the green light to build a €30m office and shops development in Dublin 4, writes Donal Buckley.

Mr O'Brien was not available to comment yesterday on when he would proceed with the project in Donnybrook village.

Located at The Crescent, Donnybrook Road, the development would replace the current single-story commercial building occupied by Crunch Fitness, a fitness chain operated by one of Mr O'Brien's extended family.

His new five-storey project is designed as a landmark building to mark the transition from the suburbs to the city. It will include shops, offices and a basement with car parking.

With construction costs now falling, it may cost him less than €13m to build and even with prices falling it could be worth €30m when fully let.

Irish Independent

www.buckplanning.ie

Council allows rail and road museum

CLARE COUNTY Council has given the go-ahead for Ireland’s largest rail and road museum at Moyasta, west Clare, in spite of concerns by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

The proposal is part of the West Clare Railway tourist attraction which has seen numbers treble since the return of a 115-year-old Slieve Callan steam engine last August.

The museum proposal is the brainchild of entrepreneur and driving force behind plans to rejuvenate the west Clare railway Jackie Whelan.

Mr Whelan said yesterday he hoped to begin work in the next number of months on the museum. “I am delighted. It will be a huge boost to west Clare.”

The sole objector is Moyasta native David Browne, who has said he will appeal to Bord Pleanála any decision to grant permission to the museum..

Mr Whelan also faces the prospect of the NRA lodging an appeal with Bord Pleanála.

The authority has a high rate of success in appealing council decisions, and in its submission it says the project is located on a section of the N67 national road where the maximum speed limit applies.

“Therefore, it would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard and obstruction of road-users due to the movement of the extra traffic generated.

“The proposed development by itself, or by the precedent which the grant of permission for it would set, would adversely affect the use of the national road by traffic.”

Mr Whelan would require permission from the NRA for a rail line to cross the main road linking Kilkee and Kilrush.

He said: “If they allow Luas lines in Dublin, allowing a rail line cross a road in west Clare shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mr Whelan confirmed that he wants to lay down two miles of track over the next two months to Kilkee “and with the good will of the people extend the line eventually to Kilkee and Kilrush”.

In its granting of planning, the council says that no development can take place on the site until such time as permission has been obtained from the Railway Safety Commission.

The planner in the case states that “in terms of visual amenity and rationale for the chosen site, it is considered that on balance, having regard to the nature of the proposal, it would be acceptable”.

The council has granted permission having regard to the zoning of the site, the existing use established on site, the intended use of the proposed building, the policies of the county development plan, and the pattern of development in the area.

The council found that the proposed development would not seriously harm the amenities of the local area or of property in the vicinity.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Clare council grants permission for tourist resort

CLARE COUNTY Council yesterday granted planning permission for a large tourist complex, including holidays homes, to the developers of Tinerana House in Co Clare.

The plan lodged included the refurbishment of Tinerana House, an 18-hole championship golf course, a 32-bed hotel, 155 two-bed holiday homes and an equestrian centre.

In the permission, the council allowed 116 of the 155 holiday homes. Developers Tinerana Ltd had argued with the council that it could only reduce the number of holiday homes to 130, stating that "any further reduction in the short-stay unit numbers would substantially question the commercial viability of the project".

Tinerana House was the home of Paschal Carmody, who has been involved in court proceedings concerning controversial cancer treatment.

In 2006, the former doctor and his wife, Dr Frieda Keane Carmody, sold the 270-acre site on the shores of Lough Derg in a multi-million-euro deal to Limerick developers Joe Hanrahan and John Shee. Yesterday, the council gave the green light to Tinerana Ltd for the €100 million Tinerana House tourist resort.

As part of the development, 200 temporary and permanent jobs are set to be created, while 200 more jobs will be generated through the construction of the development.

The development will contribute €2.8 million to the council, a sum that represents almost three times the total amount the council has received in development contributions for the first nine months of this year. The council granted permission despite its conservation officer, Risteard UaCronin, stating in a report that if permitted, the development "would contravene national and local policy and negatively impact on this vulnerable spectacular landscape for generations to come".

Mr UaCronin had stated that the project should be greatly reduced and be located in a place where it would significantly reduce the visual and material impact on the landscape.

A spokesman for Tinerana Ltd said that it was pleased that the decision in favour of the development had been made. The council gave the plan the go-ahead after concluding that it would not seriously injure the amenities of the area.

In information lodged with the application, Tinerana Ltd stated that the development, when operational, would generate €13 million a year for the economy.

The project encountered no opposition locally. Martin Moroney, director of Shannon airport, and John Brassil, chairman of Shannon Development, lodged submissions in support of the project.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

McManus gets permission to build lake on grounds of Limerick mansion

JP MCMANUS has been given permission to build a lake on the grounds of his new mansion in Martinstown, Co Limerick.

Limerick County Council was initially unhappy with the scale of the project. However, the local authority has since approved the development of a scaled-down lake.

The size of the lake for which planning permission has been approved is 5,500sq m, which is just under 1.25 acres.

Originally, the lake was to cover an area of 31,000sq m – almost 2½ times the size of Croke Park – and its border was to resemble that of the Limerick county boundary.

However, when plans for the lake were lodged with the county council earlier this year, planners said the size and shape of the lake would not blend into the local countryside.

The local authority requested that the applicant, Noreen McManus – Mr McManus’s wife – supply a revised version of the plan minimising the use of artificial embankments and using gently sloping grades. This week the council granted permission for the elaborate project subject to 11 conditions.

One of the conditions is that no motorised vehicles be used on the lake and that the proposed boathouse, which is to be constructed nearby, must not be used for any other activity apart from those relating to the lake.

Another condition is that no fish can be stocked in the lake without prior written approval of the planning authority.

The council also specifies that the proposed lake must not reduce the outflow to the nearby Knockannacarta stream.

The house is still under construction but is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The 40,000sq ft property has nine bedrooms and features a 200-seat cinema, gym with 18-metre pool, sauna, steam room and hot tubs, a vast wine cellar and a “panic room”.

The house, which resembles the stately homes built in the 17th and 18th centuries, is about 27 times the size of an average modern home.

Two years ago, Mr McManus gave the local Staker Wallace GAA grounds a substantial sum for its grounds and built a replacement venue for it nearby with a pavilion and playing pitches.

The original GAA ground had a very strategic view of the McManus estate.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Concern over peat power plant

MAYO COUNTY Council's decision to grant planning permission for a 100 megawatt peat-and-mixed-fuel power plant at the former Asahi chemicals site near Killala has been questioned by Bord Pleanála.

The appeals board has requested the developers to justify the proposed use of 400,000 tons of peat annually given that the "proposal might be contrary to national policy to reduce power generation from peat as a fuel source".

In a request for further information on the project, the board asked the developers - Mayo Power Ltd - to "consider and advise whether the proposed development can be operated using biomass and coal as fuel sources only".

The company is headed by former Mayo Fine Gael TD and senator Myles Staunton, who owns it jointly with a US-UK consortium, Rockland Holdings, led by Gerald Crotty. It has estimated the cost of the proposed development at €140 million.

The power plant - if approved - would use a mix of peat, woodchips and a small amount of coal as its feedstock. The developers say it will meet Mayo's electricity demand and stabilise the transmission network in the area.

However, An Taisce and the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) are appealing the county council's decision to Bord Pleanála, while Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) has raised it with the European Commission.

The commission has called on Ireland to implement "effective management and protection measures" for its remaining peatlands, several which are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the EU habitats directive.

In a written response to a question from Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas described the conservation status of peatlands in Ireland as "particularly alarming", and said peat "does not represent a renewable resource".

The environmental groups welcomed the commissioner's statement and called on the Government to clarify the National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012 which continues to support the co-firing of peat with biomass in power generation.

The IPCC has pointed out that 82 per cent of Ireland's original peatlands of more than one million hectares has been lost over the past four centuries, mostly as a result of Bord na Móna's peat extraction activities since the 1930s.

FIE said statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency show that more than 23 million tons of carbon-dioxide were emitted into the atmosphere in the 10 years from 1990 to 2000 as a result of peat extraction for combustion in Ireland.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Coca-Cola to establish R&D facility in Wexford

The Coca-Cola company is to apply for planning permission to establish a $300 million manufacturing and research and development facility on a 41 acre site in the Wexford Business Park.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan made the announcement this afternoon.

It is expected the new facility will create around 60 jobs after one year rising to more than 100 jobs after five years. The jobs will be in process development, engineering and manufacturing.

Ms Coughlan said the company’s decision was a ‘strong endorsement’ of Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for strategically important and knowledge-dependent activities from a leading international company.

Ireland.com

www.buckplanning.ie

Green light for Gresham Hotel revamp

DUBLIN CITY Council has approved plans for a major revamp of Dublin’s Gresham Hotel which will it expand the number of its bedrooms by almost 50 per cent.

Owner Precinct Investment has secured permission for significant expansion and refurbishment of the hotel, including the addition of 179 new hotel rooms and a new glazed conference facility on the eight floor.

Designed by architects Cantrell and Crowley, the plans for the 288-bedroom hotel also include a day spa, fitness area and courtyard garden at first floor level.

The hotel’s restaurant and a new shop will be at Cathal Brugha Street along with the kitchens and a new function room. A new executive lounge and roof garden will be at seventh floor level.

The revamp of the four-star hotel will also involve the demolition of a number of structures to the rear of the hotel and some plant rooms at roof level.

There was only one objector to the scheme, An Taisce. Welcoming the changes, the environmental charity said the revamp of the “iconic” hotel, along with the development of the Carlton site, will “form a key element in the regeneration and upgrading of Upper O’Connell Street”.

But it expressed concern about the proposed conference facility which it described as a “glazed box” which would “sit above the the existing hotel” and would “excessively” dominate views in and around O’Connell Street and detract from the skyline.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Planning rules for prefabs and schools altered

SMALL school extensions and prefabs will not require planning permission under new proposals published by the Environment Minister John Gormley, writes Aine Kerr.

In addition, certain renewable technologies centring on biomass facilities, will also be exempt from the normal planning process according to the draft Planning and Development Regulations from the Department of the Environment.

But last night, the Labour Party's Ciaran Lynch objected to some of the proposed changes.

He said: "We should be reluctant to give exemptions to any area.

"What we need are tighter planning regulations and the clearing of any difficulties within the process.

Irish Independent

www.buckplanning.ie

Plan for telecom mast rejected

Planning permission for a 30-metre high telecommunications mast in an area of natural beauty in Co Mayo has been refused by An Bord Pleanála.

Galway-based Elevation Limited appealed to the board following Mayo County Council's decision to refuse permission for the structure at Carrowmoney, Partry, south Mayo. The site, at Carrawina is one kilometre from Lough Carra and Lough Mask.

A total of 24 letters, and a petition with over 350 signatures, were received objecting to the original application to Mayo County Council.

The objections related to the adverse visual impact on landscape, potential health hazards, inaccurate details, proximity to archaeological sites, intrusive impact on nearby residential properties, contravention of county development plan policies and devaluation of properties.

Elevation Limited sought to justify the mast on the basis of an alleged lack of mobile and broadband provision in the area.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Limerick private hospital to go ahead

PLANNING PERMISSION has been granted for the construction of another co-located private hospital, this time on the grounds of Limerick Regional Hospital.

The €250 million hospital is to be built by the Beacon Medical Group, which says it could be built and have its doors open in early 2011 barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The Beacon Medical Group has already been given planning permission for two co-located private hospitals on the grounds of Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital and Cork University Hospital. However, in both of those cases the decision to grant planning permission has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Beacon said yesterday its new hospital in Limerick would have 183 beds and six operating theatres, and it would directly employ 400 people. Construction is ready to commence in September.

Prof Mark Redmond of Beacon said: “We are extremely pleased to have received notification of the decision to grant planning for this proposed hospital, and believe that it will bring significant benefits to the local community.”

The new hospital will be seven storeys high, with a gross floor area of 25,047sq m.

The controversial plan to build co-located hospitals across the State was announced by the Government in July 2005. It said its aim was to free up additional beds for public patients in public hospitals by transferring private patients to the new hospitals.

Beacon said the Limerick hospital “will mirror the case-mix of the public hospital in that all specialities catered for in the public hospital will also be catered for in the co-located hospital – both medical and surgical, with the exception of national specialities”.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Bord says yes to Sean Mulryan's plans for 440 homes in Baldoyle

SEAN MULRYAN’S Helsingor has got planning permission for 440 homes as part of the fourth phase of a residential development on former racecourse lands at Baldoyle, Co Dublin.

In granting planning permission, An Bord Pleanála overruled its own inspector’s recommendation to refuse planning permission and disagreed with the inspector’s appraisal that there was a disproportionate split between the number of houses and apartments which would have a negative impact on achieving the overall objections of the Area Action Plan.

As well as over 440 units – made up of apartments, duplexes and houses in seven blocks, and a small number of semi-detached and detached houses – Mulryan got planning permission for a civic park and a crèche.

In March he got approval from An Bord Pleanála for a development of around 400 new homes, as the third phase of the development.

On that occasion the development Mulryan proposed was sizably reduced following discussions with Fingal County Council and planning conditions imposed by An Bord Pleanála.

Elements of the scheme that have been rejected in phase three include 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) of offices, a leisure centre and department store while the number of apartments was reduced from 482.

The development will include a medical centre, supermarket, shops, restaurants and a pub.

Around 4,000 homes are planned for the former Baldoyle racecourse and an adjoining 100-acre site in Portmarnock.

Mulryan sold a 50 per cent stake in the Baldoyle and Portmarnock lands to Séamus Ross of Menolly Homes for € 95 million in 2004.

Mulryan, whose main development company is Ballymore Properties, acquired the racecourse in 1999 for about £30 million from developer John Byrne.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

McNamara gets permission for €1bn Burlington project

BUILDER BERNARD McNamara is set to begin a €1 billion construction project in central Dublin after getting the green light from the city's local authority yesterday.

Dublin City Council granted his firm, Michael McNamara and Company, planning permission for the redevelopment of the Burlington Hotel site on the city's southside.

The news comes just days after a row between the council and the building company over five public private partnership (PPP) housing projects geared at regenerating a number of inner city areas.

Last year, McNamara applied for planning to build a commercial complex including 33,300sq m of office space, restaurants, shops, apartments and leisure and medical centres. It is designed around 1.2 acres of open space consisting of a plaza and public park. The development would span three blocks. One block, which will front Sussex Road and the Mespil Estate, will be part six and part eight storeys. A second block, fronting Burleigh Court and Mespil Road, will rise to seven storeys. A third office block, which will face Burlington Road, will be eight storeys.

The council yesterday gave the go-ahead for the plan with no material changes. Mr McNamara bought the hotel and some surrounding property in March last year for €288 million. When the development is completed, it will have an estimated value of €1 billion. The company intends beginning work on phase one of the project next spring. This will consist of 30,000sq m of offices on the site of the old Allianz Insurance building, which forms part of the property.

While part of the development is geared towards offices, the restaurants, shopping and leisure elements will cash in on the adjacent high-end residential area.

The council is known to be keen to encourage office development in the city as it helps to underpin and boost income from rates. However, sources said yesterday that the open-air and leisure elements of the proposed complex also helped to win support.

Earlier this week, the council announced that McNamara and another firm, Castlethorn, were ending their involvement with five PPP housing schemes in the city. Mr McNamara told The Irish Times it had not pulled out of the projects, but said the process had not been completed and the council had changed its approach to procuring the schemes. It said it had written to the council pointing out that new regulations governing size and energy efficiency, as well as changes in the market, meant the schemes were not viable.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

More offices planned for D4 scheme

DEVELOPERS BERNARD McNamara and Jerry O'Reilly are seeking planning permission to turn a hotel and hospital at their Elm Park development on the Merrion Road in Dublin 4 into offices.

Their company, Radora Developments Ltd, is proposing a change of use for the eight-storey four-star standard hotel on its grounds to over 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) of office space and a winter garden.

It is also proposing that a private day hospital, linked to the hotel, be turned into a further 12,000sq m (129,167sq ft) of offices served by 146 existing car-parking spaces.

A spokesperson for Bernard McNamara says the company is looking to turn the private hospital into offices because St Vincent's Hospital is building a new 260-bed private hospital nearby.

She said the developer wants to convert the existing hotel to offices because it is planning to redevelop the adjoining Tara Towers Hotel, which it bought for €14 million as part of the second phase of the Elm Park development.

The hotel and hospital are part of the €450 million Elm Park mixed-use development on the former 14.5-acre Sisters Of Charity lands at Merrion Road and Bellevue Avenue. The development includes 330 apartments, 100 terraced houses, and more than 30,000sq m (322,917sq ft) of offices in an open landscaped setting, all designed by Bucholz McEvoy.

Last year Bernard McNamara and Jerry O'Reilly's ambitious 25-storey mixed-use scheme incorporating a 156-bed hotel on the site of the Tara Towers Hotel was rejected by An Bord Pleanála.

Meanwhile Mr McNamara - who is also looking to redevelop the site occupied by the Burlington Hotel, Dublin 4 as a mixed-use development - has been asked to provide further information on that scheme to Dublin City Council.

As well 185 apartments, a leisure centre, gym, three restaurants, a café and a park, he is looking to build 33,340sq m (358,868sq ft) of office space.

However, Dublin City Council has asked the developer to "provide justification for the proposal to provide office space on Z1 zoned lands 'to protect, provide and improve residential amenities'."

McNamara has responded by suggesting that he omit 12 own-door office units and build shops, a neighbourhood convenience store and a medical centre in its place.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

€200m retail park for Tralee GAA site approved

TRALEE TOWN Council yesterday gave planning permission for a multimillion euro retail park in the historic GAA grounds of the Austin Stack Park.

Councillors in the Co Kerry town had rezoned the grounds last October to accommodate retail use. The planned €200 million development is being spearheaded by local businessmen Seamus O'Halloran and John Casey.

The project will see the GAA transfer to the Ballybeggan racecourse and coursing grounds outside the town in an area under the remit of Kerry County Council.

A 630-page planning application for housing in addition to playing pitches, a 15,000-seater stadium, offices and retail units in Ballybeggan has also been lodged.

However, there has been resistance to both applications.

In the case of the Austin Stack project, town centre traders have objected and it is likely yesterday's town council decision will be appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Residents, members of religious orders, environmental organisations, the National Roads Authority and a grandnephew of the patriot Austin Stack are among the objectors .

But the mayor of Tralee, Cllr Miriam McGillicuddy, said she was "absolutely thrilled" with yesterday's decision. "It is a tremendous project and will be very good for business locally. The fact that the office element will include financial services is also a major plus."

Sinn Féin town councillor Cathal Foley said: "Tralee has been in serious need of job creation and this development could provide up to . . . 1,000 jobs in the long term."

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Developer ordered to halt building

PROPERTY DEVELOPER Harry Crosbie has been ordered to cease coastal protection works being carried out near his holiday home in Co Wexford because he does not have planning permission.

An enforcement notice issued yesterday by Wexford County Council ordered Mr Crosbie to cease all unauthorised coastal defence works within two days.

The council said the works do not have the necessary planning permission and that the site is located within a Special Area of Conservation, meaning any developments would also require an environmental impact assessment and approval from the Department of the Environment.

The enforcement notice also stipulated that all unauthorised defence measures in place must be removed within two weeks.

The site will be inspected in two weeks and if the enforcement notice has not been complied with during the timeframe, the council would be entitled to instigate legal proceedings.

Some 40 per cent of the Co Wexford coastline is under threat from erosion and the coastline in the surrounding area has been eroded inwards by some 100m in the last 30 years.

Mr Crosbie, a successful entrepreneur, has a large property portfolio in the docklands area of Dublin.

Last year he sought planning permission to install coastal erosion control measures surrounding a site at Kilpatrick, some 10km north of Courtown, on the Wexford-Wicklow border. His application was refused by the council in March.

Despite this, work involving a crane and other vehicles started in the vicinity of Mr Crosbie's house last Monday, and following a number of complaints from locals, who were concerned the works would involve the destruction of a habitat for sandmartins, the council sent an engineer to evaluate the situation on Tuesday.

Eamonn Hore, director of planning with the council, confirmed the works had ceased following the issue of the enforcement notice.

He said the location of Mr Crosbie's house was not as vulnerable to erosion as many of the houses along the same stretch of coast and that the installation of protection measures could have had knock-on effects for neighbouring houses.

"We don't want to stop anybody from protecting their home but Mr Crosbie must carry out the required environmental assessment to show the work will not damage the Special Area of Conservation or cause further problems along the coast," he said.

Mr Hore added that a detailed assessment of erosion in the area is being conducted by Wexford County Council and that the results will be made available upon its completion.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Gas plant objectors willing to take case to the EU

The gas terminal was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála two weeks ago, following the public planning process which culminated in an oral hearing held in January 4.

Throughout that hearing, one group of locals put up a strong fight against the plan, principally on the grounds of safety. They said that if any major accident were to happen on the site many lives would be in danger. Shannon LNG, the company behind the plans, however, said safety procedures at the plant would be extremely high.

‘Our fight isn't over yet by a long shot', KRA member, Johnny McElligott, told The Kerryman. ‘We feel that as a group of ordinary people living in the area we were badly let down by the fast-tracking nature of the strategic infrastructure planning process. The fact that only 40 conditions have been attached to the planning causes us great concern. You'd nearly have 100 conditions attached to building a new house,' he said.

‘We are ordinary people with our own jobs and we spent a lot of time working on our argument before the recent oral hearing and for little support from the State, even though we raised questions of massive importance for everyone in the area. We got no expenses - our chief witness, Dr Jerry Havens, had his flight and board covered to the tune of exactly E2,876, and that was it, we got nothing. Meanwhile, Kerry County Council - who were doing the job they're paid to do - got E43,076, while the board awarded itself E162,124,' he added.

Another KRA member, Raymond O'Mahony, said he felt some of the planning conditions for the LNG terminal gave more consideration to animals than humans.

‘One of the conditions during the building phase is that if a dolphin comes within 500 metres within 20 minutes of explosives [being used during the building] going off those explosions will have to be cancelled. However, for the rest of us, all we get is a one-minute siren warning that an explosion is about to happen,' he added.

The Kerryman

www.buckplanning.ie

Gas plant objectors willing to take case to the EU

The gas terminal was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála two weeks ago, following the public planning process which culminated in an oral hearing held in January 4.

Throughout that hearing, one group of locals put up a strong fight against the plan, principally on the grounds of safety. They said that if any major accident were to happen on the site many lives would be in danger. Shannon LNG, the company behind the plans, however, said safety procedures at the plant would be extremely high.

‘Our fight isn't over yet by a long shot', KRA member, Johnny McElligott, told The Kerryman. ‘We feel that as a group of ordinary people living in the area we were badly let down by the fast-tracking nature of the strategic infrastructure planning process. The fact that only 40 conditions have been attached to the planning causes us great concern. You'd nearly have 100 conditions attached to building a new house,' he said.

‘We are ordinary people with our own jobs and we spent a lot of time working on our argument before the recent oral hearing and for little support from the State, even though we raised questions of massive importance for everyone in the area. We got no expenses - our chief witness, Dr Jerry Havens, had his flight and board covered to the tune of exactly E2,876, and that was it, we got nothing. Meanwhile, Kerry County Council - who were doing the job they're paid to do - got E43,076, while the board awarded itself E162,124,' he added.

Another KRA member, Raymond O'Mahony, said he felt some of the planning conditions for the LNG terminal gave more consideration to animals than humans.

‘One of the conditions during the building phase is that if a dolphin comes within 500 metres within 20 minutes of explosives [being used during the building] going off those explosions will have to be cancelled. However, for the rest of us, all we get is a one-minute siren warning that an explosion is about to happen,' he added.

The Kerryman

www.buckplanning.ie