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A FINAL GRANT of planning approval has been issued to U2′s The Edge for a new family home in Sorrento Road in Dalkey in south Dublin – 23 years after his first planning attempt for the same site.
The Edge can now press ahead with his plans to renovate and build a three level extension to his Sorrento Cottage property on the Vico Road and Sorrento Road site which overlooks Killiney Bay with the final grant of approval coming through.
Last month, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council granted planning permission to David Evans for the scheme and there was the risk that the decision could have been appealed to An Bord Pleanála – and the plan put on hold – as there was one third party submission on the planning file.
However, the Council has now issued The Edge with the final approval after no appeals were lodged allowing the U2 guitarist to press ahead with his redevelopment plan.
The Edge only lodged his planning application on 19 September and the smooth sailing of his current application in three months is in marked contrast to his previous application for the site which took three years to make its way through the planning and legal process.
In December 2000, David Evans lodged plans for the Sorrento Cottage revamp and the Council granted planning permission in January 2001.
However, that Council decision was the spark for a long running planning battle that ended up in the High Court.
An Taisce appealed against the Council decision in February 2001 with An Bord Pleanála refusing planning permission in October 2001.
In refusing planning permission, the appeals board dismissed a recommendation by its own inspector to grant planning permission and Evans took a High Court judicial review of the appeals board refusal and in November 2003, the High Court upheld the An Bord Pleanála decision.
In relation to the new planning application, the planner’s report concluded that the proposal would not adversely impact on the residential amenity of adjacent properties by reason of overshadowing, overlooking or overbearing appearance.
The planner’s report also found that the proposed development “would not significantly detract from the character and the provisions of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan”.
The report stated that the proposal has adopted a sensitive and contemporary design approach which respects the established character of the area.
The report also concluded that the extension elements over three storeys “have taken into consideration the visual amenity of the receiving environment’s landscape attributes and features”.
The report states that the development “also benefits from the proposed extensive use of green roofs” and “this will have a camouflaging the built form of the extension when viewed from surrounding areas.
Only one submission was made to the Council by a third party and local, Michael Shiell who told the Council of his concerns over the scheme’s planned fencing by stating that “this area is a special amenities area and must be protected and not turned, externally into a prison camp”.
In response, the Council included a condition that the boundary walls will be maintained at their existing height.
The new “innovative” scheme by ODAA Architects includes a recording studio and a separate bath-house containing a plunge pool and sauna.
Sorrento Cottage has been vacant since the mid-1990s and ODAA Architects told the council that their brief “was to bring the existing structure back into use as our client’s primary dwelling”.
ODAA Architects told the council that they have adopted a sensitive approach to the refurbishment of the existing residential structure and the design of the new additions, commenting that “the proposed development will have a positive impact on the visual character of the area”.
The plan for the 2.75 acre site – which his located adjacent to Sorrento Terrace – is to also include a security hut and planning documents lodged with the application state that a key aspect of the proposal “will be to meet the unique safety needs of the Evans family associated with the high profile profession of Evans. It is mandatory that a 24-hour security is provided on site”.
The report stated that the site’s “largely secluded location” as it is bounded by Killiney Bay “meets the needs of the Evans family over similarly sized properties in the area”.
The Thornton O’Connor Town report stated that the internal reconfiguration work of Sorrento Cottage “will provide high quality residential amenity spaces for the Evans family including an open plan kitchen diner with a connected living area”.
In a separate comprehensive 45-page planning report by Thornton O’Connor Town Planning, Director at the consultancy, Sadhbh O’Connor told the Council that the proposed extension and renovation “will ultimately provide a high-quality and carefully designed family home that appropriately responds to the sensitive environment in which it is sited”.
O’Connor has stated that the scheme’s retained design team for the newly proposed development addresses the reasons for refusal by An Bord Pleanála to the previous scheme.
O’Connor stated that the main extension and refurbished and renovated house incorporates a range of rooms, including six ensuite bedrooms, living and lounge rooms, kitchen and dining rooms, study and studio spaces. The scheme also includes an archive room.
The proposed development also includes the demolition of a number of structures on site including single-storey extensions, a greenhouse, a detached garage and external stores.
O’Connor has told the council that “the provision of a high-quality extension over three levels, integrated into the landscape, to make use of a currently vacant and under-utilised dwelling in an accessible location” according with national planning policy.
O’Connor stated that the scheme will bring a currently vacant dwelling back into habitable use and occupation.
The Edge assembled a team of experts from nine separate planning and engineering firms to advance the plan and the new scheme has evolved over the last two years as O’Connor lodged her first pre-planning report on the plan with the Council in August 2021.
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“AROUND 3,000 PEOPLE rallied in Glasgow today” that’s a pitiful size for a march, you’d need a protest about 20 times bigger than that to carry any weight.
All the Celtic fans were in Dublin.
Why don’t they just march for independence?
They had their chance and they blew it!
If you’re talking about the ScotNats, yes they blew it. The majority who voted NO are being ignored time and time again by Saint Nicola and her single-issue party.
Harry – you do seem fine however with Saint Nigel and his single issue party ;-)
Bottlers
It would not be in Ireland’s interest for there to be an Independent Scotland. With the removal of the UK from the EU, the one plus point is the transfer of some UK based business to other parts of the EU, including Dublin. The last thing we want is Glasgow and Edinburgh vying for that business too! An Independent Scotland would also compete with Ireland for future foreign direct investment. From a competitive perspective, a unified UK is the best option for Ireland.
Exactly right George. A weakened UK outside the single market is in Irelands best interest. Sounds harsh but let’s not fool ourselves – the Brits were happy to impose economic sanctions on us from the 1930′s to the 1950′s during the so called “economic war” with the UK so we need to look out for ourselves.
Fred – please highlight, copy and paste any post I’ve made either in this article or in any others where I’ve made even the remotest indication of support for Farage, Boris, UKIP, Brexit or English nationalism. In your own time.
It was lack if Scotts who came out and voted in EU ref which is why the No side one.
Jusr over 60% turned out, if it has been 75-85% they would still be in the EU. The same with NI under 59% turnout.
Was over 70% in England and Wales. It was 85% in Scot Ind ref in 2014
That’s a piss poor turn out !!
They should have put the polling booths in off licences and chippers.
When Scotland eventually do decide to go it alone, it will be on their terms. Westminster will have no more say in how things shall be done! They definitely won’t be making the mistakes that the Irish did
Well you have to consider the fact that some supporters of the SNP did not come out precisely because they wanted a ‘No’ vote to win in order to force a second referendum on independence. Indeed, there were some SNP supporters who admitted to supporting Brexit for this very reason.
A mistake to break away in the first place
@rodrigo detriano:
Yes. WE made mistakes….but we are in clear water now and doing better than Scotland or Wales..and most of England.
the Scots will reject it again because they like being controlled by their masters in London.
The Scots rejected it the last time because they saw straight through the Yes Campaign for what it was: hot air, snake oil and flag waving. It was like watching the Brexit team in tartan.
Well, as I remember, the English living in Scotland were allowed to vote in the independence referendum. Wonder what would the result be if English excluded?
@Jindrich Marz
Interestingly, there were English people in Scotland who were in favour of Scottish independence.
As I remember, the 800,000+ Scots living outside Scotland in the rest of the UK (and therefore more likely to have positive views of Unionism) were excluded from IndyRef. Wonder what the result would have been had they been allowed to vote…? See how that argument cuts both ways?
Harry, you’re getting a lot of red thumbs but I agree with your comments.
Most Scots voted “no” because the figures didn’t stack up. It was an economic decision.
And that was when the tax haul from oil revenues looked healthy. The North Sea is likely never to recover to it’s recent heights with an unprecedented downturn in exploration and production.
Couple this with the fact that previously, the voters were voting for separation within the EU. i.e free trade with England. Given the fact that this is now no longer the case, and Scotland do 65% of their trade with England, then independence is going to be costly.
At the time of the first referendum an indecent financial analysis by a respected body concluded that the best case scenario on the Scottish governments anticipations would result in a 9% increase in income tax and a VAT rate of 28%. It can only be assumed that these figures would be worse in the current circumstances.
A vote for independence would be to cut off your nose, despite your face in the most spectacular fashion.
A recent yougov poll says that the vast majority of Scottish people still don’t want independence.
Yes that is because they like being controlled by the masters in London.
@Just Some Guy
The Scots are not controlled by anyone. They have the same rights as the English, the Welsh and the people of Northern Ireland.
Scotland would last about a week on there own.
Especially with the price of Brent down by 50%.
“their own” even. Bloody scousers.
Coming from someone who can’t distinguish the difference between their and there, I think I’ll avoid taking economic predictions from you. Scotland would do just fine as an independent state.
Scotland has natural resources and politicians who care about issues rather than themselves and their high powered friends! A far better example of a country than the banana republican kip they call Ireland!!!!!!!!
Not with Clan Sturgeon at the helm. Nationalist parties as a rule can’t be trusted to piss without someone else holding their todger for them.
@james, I suspect the same was said about Ireland when we got independence from the UK
You lost guys, now grow up and get over it.
Clan Sturgeon will never get over it. Maybe in thus respect they ARE more European – hold a referendum again and again and again until they get the ‘right’ result. Mind you, once they do get the result they want watch how fast Nicola and co. will pull a Brexit and say “nothing to do with us, let someone else sort out the chaos”
I would bet my house that Northern Ireland uniting with an independent Scotland is more likely than a United Ireland in the next 50 years.
Bet it, so
I would because the Nationalists in the North would unite with the Scots far more readily than the Loyalists in the North would unite with us.
So basically…Scotland gets to unilaterally decide whether to break up the UK, but the rest of the UK isn’t allowed to take Scotland out of the EU. Gotta love Nationalist exceptionalism.
Harry – Brexit was the biggest expression of English nationalism ever. Are you ok with that particular nationalism, but not so much with other regions of the UK?
No Fred – I voted Remain. Unlike Kippers and SNP cultists I’m consistent in my distaste for nationalism.
OK they will vote for independence and get ruled by Germany sounds familiar
Stuart Kaufman’s Seven Rules of Nationalism: 1. If an area was ours for 500 years and yours for 50 years, it should belong to us – your are merely occupiers. 2. If an area was yours for 500 years and ours for 50 years, it should belong to us – borders must not be changed. 3. If an area belonged to us 500 years ago but never since then, it should belong to us – it is the Cradle of our Nation. 4. If a majority of our people live there, it must belong to us – they must enjoy the right of self-determination. 5. If a minority of our people live there, it must belong to us – they must be protected against your oppression. 6. All of the above rules apply to us but not to you. 7. Our dream of greatness is Historical Necessity, yours is Fascism.
It was not a Scottish Referendum. It was a Referendum of the United Kingdom.
Scotland has traditionally been more European in outlook than England and Wales. It is nit surprising that it voted in favour of Reamin but Scotland’s result has no legal standing.
It is not unlikely that the exit deal finally negotiated will mean that the UK will retain most p, if not all, of the current obligations but will have no say in future policy making and legislation. The U.K. will end up just having an inferior position in Europe unless the UK can collapse the E.U. , which is what many of the pro Brexit want.
I wouldn’t even say they’re ‘more European in outlook’. Most social attitudes surveys (rather than the misleading political allegiance surveys) indicate that Scots hold very similar views to their English and Welsh counterparts as far as issues like taxes, welfare and immigration are concerned. A load of SNP supporters simply backed Remain because their party backed it; Clan Sturgeon simply looked for any excuse to say ‘look, we’re different from those nasty Southerners’.
Interesting to see what happens……
The SNP are left of centre, not left wing
Our day will come!! (For the west Brits)!!!!!
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