Developers lodge 12 fast-track plans for 5,035 units for Dublin in five days

Developers have lodged 12 separate fast-track planning applications over a five-day period for 5,035 residential units for Dublin under the strategic housing development (SHD) system.

The 5,035 total brings to more than 9,000 residential units that have been applied for under the SHD system for Dublin over a two-week period in April.

The surge in applications follows a scramble by developers to meet an April 19th deadline in relation to the SHD scheme.

The scheme is currently being phased out but developers can still lodge applications for their planned SHDs in certain cases.

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If an applicant has received what is termed an opinion from An Bord Pleanála on their preliminary plans since December 17th last or are still awaiting an opinion then those developers have 16 weeks from the date the opinion is given to lodge an application.

Opinion

The recent surge concerned applications where developers had received an opinion from the board on their preliminary plans on or before December 17th last.

The largest scheme lodged is for the site of the former De La Salle School at Ballyfermot Road in Ballyfermot, Dublin. The scheme comprises eight apartment blocks with one rising to 13 storeys in height.

According to documentation lodged with the scheme, the developer, in compliance with its Part V social housing obligations, is proposing to sell 93 units to Dublin City Council for €33.8 million. This works out to an average unit cost to the council of €364,350.

An examination of the 12 applications shows that of the plans for 5,035 residential units, 93 per cent or 4,664 of the total concern apartments, with plans for only 371 houses.

Cairn Homes has lodged four separate SHD schemes totalling 1,898 residential units.

Apartments

The Cairn plans are for 534 build-to-rent apartments for a site at Barrington Tower, Brennsantown Road in Dublin 18 and 503 apartments and 118 houses for a site at Estuary West Lands at Holybanks, Swords, Co Dublin.

Cairn has also lodged plans for 358 apartments and eight homes for Chesterfield, Cross Avenue, Blackrock, in south Dublin, with the home builder also submitting plans for 377 build-to-rent apartments for a site at former Blake’s and Esmonde Motors Site on Lower Kilmacud Road in Stillorgan.

Other large-scale SHD schemes include one scheme by J Murphy (Developments) Ltd for 645 apartments at lands at Fosterstown North, on the Dublin Road in Swords.