Green light given to redevelop Ballsbridge office block that previously housed Israeli embassy

An Bord Pleanála has given the go-ahead to contentious plans to demolish the eight-storey Carrisbrook House in Dublin 4 and replace it with a 10-storey office block.

In granting planning permission to Atria V Lux SARL for the demolition of the building located at the junction of Pembroke Road and Northumberland Road in Ballsbridge, the board dismissed the recommendation of its own inspector, Michael Dillon, to refuse permission on a number of grounds.

Carrisbrook House served as the home of the Israeli embassy in Ireland until its relocation to nearby Shelbourne Road in 2019.

The new office scheme at 12,690sq metres would provide more than three times the gross floor area of the current Carrisbrook House. Atria V Lux SARL’s plan also includes a restaurant and cafe at ground floor level.

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The decision by An Bord Pleanála upholds the planning permission granted by Dublin City Council in May 2022. The plan was stalled after an appeal was lodged by the Pembroke Road Residents Association and The Lansdowne and District Residents Association against the decision.

At the end of a 40-page report on the case, Mr Dillon recommended a refusal on four separate grounds echoing some of the concerns expressed by local residents over the proposal.

Mr Dillon said he was recommending refusal as the scheme’s height, bulk and scale would result in unacceptable levels of overshadowing of adjoining property zoned for residential use.

Mr Dillon said that the development “would seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value of property in the vicinity”.

He also recommended refusal as the proposed development would result in increased levels of overlooking of adjoining properties to the west, northwest and north that are zoned for residential use.

In addition, he determined that the development would appear particularly prominent when approaching along Northumberland Road from the city centre and would set an undesirable precedent for similar-type development in the area.

The board concluded that the proposed scheme would be in accordance with the performance criteria for enhanced height and would not have a significant negative impact on the residential amenity in the immediate area.

The board also concluded that the scheme would not result in unacceptable levels of overshadowing or overlooking of adjoining property.