AN BORD PLEANÁLA has refused planning permission to plans for a 16-storey high Grand Canal Square-style mixed use scheme that was aiming to create “a dynamic new urban quarter” and bring hundreds of jobs to Cabra East on Dublin’s northside.

An Bord Pleanála has turned down plans by Woodberry Printing Ltd for its planned Royal Canal Square on a number of grounds including that the scheme would be premature pending the finalisation of the design for the Luas Green Line extension.

The appeals board also refused planning permission after concluding that the scheme would be premature pending the preparation of a feasibility study and a local statutory plan for the Dublin Industrial Estate, also known as the Broombridge Industrial Estate.

The board stated that the scheme, if granted, would result in piecemeal and fragmented development, lacking coherent integration with and impeding the future development potential of the surrounding area and adjacent sites.

The appeals board also found that the proposal due to a combination of the excessive height, bulk, massing and length of the proposed buildings, would result in the over development of the site and would constitute an overly dominant, overbearing, incongruous and monolithic form of development.

Upholding the recommendation by inspector Terence McLellan to refuse planning permission after his 59-page report, the appeals board also found that the scheme would have a significant detrimental impact on visual amenity, and would fail to successfully integrate into the existing surrounding area and public realm.

In the plans, Woodberry Printing Ltd was seeking planning permission for its Royal Canal Square development on a 5.63 acre site at the Broombridge industrial estate in Dublin 11 that was to also include four blocks with the tallest reaching to 16 storeys in height.

The scheme includes 304 apartments and a 100 bedroom family hotel along with 44,365 sq metres in office space and 14 retail units.

In a bid to secure planning permission, the applicants proposed that the 16-storey block be reduced to 12 storeys while a 12-storey block be reduced to 10 storeys.

The applicants also offered to reduce the amount of office floorspace.

The decision upholds a planning refusal issued by Dublin City Council in November 2022.

In the appeal, planning consultants Hughes Planning and Development Consultants contended that the proposal has had due regard for the emerging preferred route for the future Luas Green Line extension.

The appeal argued that the scheme is the optimum starting point for the redevelopment and regeneration of the southern part of the Broombridge Industrial Estate and will act as a stimulus for the continued development of the area.

The appeal stated that the Local Area Plan would not be available until mid 2024 or perhaps 2025 at the earliest.

The appeal states that this would result in a situation whereby development proposals would only begin to be approved in late 2026/2027 and this is unreasonable in the context of improving the efficient use of centrally located sites within Dublin.