Appeals board turns down planning for 452 apartments for Cornelscourt

Plans for a 452-apartment build-to-rent complex on land formerly owned by Dunnes Stores at Cornelscourt in south Dublin have been turned down.

An Bord Pleanála ruled against the plan for eight apartment blocks – one of them rising to 12 storeys. It said the level of communal open space is below the minimum standard set out in ministerial guidelines.

The number of single-aspect apartments – apartments with windows on one wall only – in the scheme also contravened the guidelines, it said.

The proposed development– by Cornel Living Ltd at Cornelscourt village, on the Old Bray Road, adjacent to the N11 – also included 10 semi-detached homes and six bungalows along with a cafe/restaurant.

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Refusing permission, the planning board also said the proposed development would be premature regarding existing deficiencies in the wastewater sewerage network.

The appeals board’s grounds for refusal echo some of the reasons put forward by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council as to why permission should be refused.

‘No relationship’

Former minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor, who was in office during the consultation period on the plan, told An Bórd Pleanála “the vast majority of the units will be accommodated in eight massive apartment blocks, the height and scale bear no relationship to the adjacent homes”.

In her objection, Ms Mitchell O’Connor further contended that “the entire development being built for rental is a matter of some concern. Rentals on this scale attract transient populations and add nothing to the local community.”

In total, more than 80 objections were lodged against the proposal from individuals and groups including Foxrock South Residents Association and the Grange Castle and Foxrock Wood Residents Association.