DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has refused planning permission for a “contentious” 74 unit ‘build to rent’ scheme for Drumcondra.

The City Council has refused planning permission for the eight storey scheme for Turnpike Lane at the rear of 59-69 Drumcondra Road Lower in Dublin 9 after objectors and An Taisce hit out at the scheme.

In refusing planning permission to Ginxo Trading Ltd, the Council concluded that that the proposal “would constitute overdevelopment of the backland site and result in a visually discordant feature in the landscape which would be intrusive and overbearing when viewed on approach from the south along Drumcondra Road Lower”.

The Council also ruled that the scheme “would detract from the visual amenities of the surrounding residential conservation area”.

The planning authority also determined that the scheme’s
excessive and over-bearing height “would have a significant and seriously injurious impact on the special architectural character, setting and amenity of the Protected Structures and impact adversely on the residential amenities of these properties”.

An objection lodged on behalf of a number of residents of Drumcondra Road stated that the proposal “is reminiscent of the doomed high rise building disasters of the 1960s and incompatible with sustainable development” due to its scale, density and lack of on-site amenities.

An Taisce told the Council that the scheme should be refused permission “as it would constitute gross overdevelopment to the rear of a terrace of protected structures and would fail to protect the amenities, setting and special interest of this terrace”.

Former Environment Editor at The Irish Times, Frank McDonald told the Council that “in the course of more than 40 years writing about planning in Dublin, I have rarely come across a proposal as brazenly outrageous as this one”.

McDonald contended that “to propose parachuting 74 ‘build to rent’ units – all but 11 of them consisting of one-bedroom flats or studios – into a backland site to the rear of six Victorian houses on Drumcondra Road is simply beyond belief and should be rejected out of hand”.

McDonald argues that no rational planning authority would grant planning permission for what is proposed “and Dublin City Council should firmly reject it citing the strongest reasons possible to insulate it against an over-turn by An Bord Pleanála”.

A report lodged on behalf of the applicants by PMCA Architects and Planning argued that the site “represents an opportunity to transform a derelict under-utilised site by creating a sustainable residential development”.

PMCA stated that the accommodation has been designed to meet the highest quality standards of residential accommodation for a build to rent apartment scheme.

The submission further argued that the scheme represents a major improvement for the existing neighbouring residents while providing much needed accommodation for new occupants in the city.