The Castleknock resident who last year turned down a €100,000 offer from Bartra to withdraw a court challenge against a co-living scheme for Dublin’s Old Navan Road has lodged an objection against the developer’s planned €30 million apartment scheme for the same site.
The Irish Times reported last week that Barry O’Lone turned down the €100,000 offer from Bartra to withdraw the High Court judicial review proceedings against the firm’s planned 210 bed space co-living scheme opposite his family home.
The co-living scheme did not proceed and last month Bartra Property (Castleknock) Ltd lodged plans for a five-storey 56-unit apartment scheme for the same site at Brady’s Public House, Old Navan Road, Dublin 15.
As part of Bartra’s Part V social housing requirements, it is to provide 10 per cent of the units for social housing to Fingal County Council and the firm has put an indicative price tag of €2.7 million on the five units with an average price per unit of €541,776.
Mr O’Lone is one of over 20 parties, which also includes the Concerned Residents of Talbot Court, Talbot Downs, Woodpark and Old Navan Road, to lodge an objection against the new scheme.
As part of his objection, Mr O’Lone repeats the allegation that he was previously offered €100,000 by Bartra in April 2023 to withdraw the High Court judicial review against the co-living scheme.
In the objection, Mr O’Lone has attached the April 2023 Bartra letter to him outlining the €100,000 offer though the council has made the contents unavailable to view.
Mr O’Lone said the Bartra letter to him stated that it would lodge an application for a “social housing development” for the site if he did not accept the €100,000 offer to withdraw the case against the co-living scheme.
Mr O’Lone claims the letter clearly outlines Bartra’s willingness to “bully their way to achieving their plans”.
Calling on the council to refuse planning permission for the 56-unit scheme, Mr O’Lone said his family home was located directly opposite the site at Brady’s pub and the “close proximity, height and style of development will adversely affect the residential nature of the area and my home”.
He said he would welcome development on the site that would be in keeping with the height and density of existing homes.
A planning report by Thornton O’Connor Town Planning lodged with the application states that the proposed development will “provide a high-quality living environment”.
In the 73-page report, director of Thornton O’Connor Town Planning, Patricia Thornton, states that the proposed development “will provide critically needed housing”.
A spokesman for Bartra declined to comment.
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