DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has given the green light to plans for a 785-unit apartment scheme on the grounds of St Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview in Dublin 3 despite local opposition.

The Council has granted planning permission for the €300 million apartment scheme after reducing the number of units from 811 to 785.

The reduction in the number of units involves the reduction in height of the tallest block at 13 storeys to 11 storeys.

Those opposed to the scheme included a number of residents groups – the Griffith Court Residents Association, the Grace Park Wood Residents Association and The Residents of the Eastern End of Richmond Road Area.

The Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) scheme granted comprises 303 build to rent units at Richmond Road and Convent Avenue, Fairview.

The scheme on the 23.4 acre site is being developed by Royalton Group, a British property development firm, in partnership with the board of St Vincent’s Hospital Fairview.

Under the terms of the deal, Royalton is to construct a new 73-bedroom mental health facility for St Vincent’s Hospital Fairview, which is currently located in a listed building that is over 100 years old.

As part of 39 conditions attached to the permission, the Council is requiring that the developer pays €8.7 million in planning contributions towards public infrastructure.

Acting Secretary, Samantha Magee for The Residents of Grace Park Wood Residents Association told the council that the current application “should be rejected because it is a poorly conceived design which impacts adversely on the surrounding area and people”.

The Residents of Lomond Avenue, Fairview told the council that overall “we fear the proposed development, unless significantly reduced, will negatively impact the quality of life of current residents and prospective new ones should they occupy this development as well as the hospital patients”.

They stated: “This will cause a detrimental long term impact and we urge you to consider a significant reduction to the residential part of the scheme.”

The new hospital is expected to cost around €50 million to build and in order to fund the hospital project, the hospital board is to transfer around 13 acres of undeveloped land on the campus to Royalton for the apartment scheme plan.

Architects for the scheme, Scott Tallon Walker stated that the application provides the opportunity for a “new, high-density housing on underutilised land and to fully fund the construction of the new hospital and the refurbishment and re-use of the protected structures”.

As part of its Part V social housing obligations, the developers were planning to sell 174 apartments – or 21 per cent of the total number of units – to Dublin City Council and put an indicative price tag of €87.72 million on the units.

With the reduction in the number of units, the number of Part V units will reduce to 164/165.

Documentation lodged shows that the average cost to the council of the units is €504,189 with the documentation showing that one three apartment has an indicative cost of €802,23 with other three bed apartments costing €795,164. The cost of a two bed apartment rises to €677,480 while a one bed can cost €414,281.

A final price on the units will be agreed with the Council now with the grant of permission though third parties have the option of appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

Planning consultant for the scheme, John Spain told the council that overall the lands “are ideally located for a sustainable mixed use development, which provides a new hospital, providing mental health services, supporting residential development and significant public open space, in an inner suburban location”.

Spain contended that the scheme “represents a significant investment in a strategically located site in an inner suburban location within Dublin City which is eminently suitable for a mixed-use development”.

He said: “This contention is further supported by the subject site’s proximity to public transport, employment, services and facilities.”

St Vincent’s Hospital Fairview has no connection to St Vincent’s University Hospital in south Dublin.