Dublin City Council turns down 120-bed student accommodation

Dublin City Council has refused planning permission for a 120-bed student accommodation development for Convent Avenue in Dublin 3.

Earlier this year, Kilcarne Estates Ltd lodged plans for the two six-storey apartment blocks to house the accommodation.

The scheme - adjacent to the entrance of St Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview - is made up of 18 student apartments, made up of eight six-bed units, eight seven-bed units and two eight-bed units.

A planning report filed by Hughes Planning and Development Consultants stated that the scheme is located in close proximity to third level institutions such as DCU, Marino Institute of Education and DCU St Patrick's "and will be of significant benefit to these campuses providing high-quality accommodation".

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Vacant site

The site is currently occupied by a vacant warehouse and the planning consultants state that the current use represented an underutilisation of a zoned and serviced site.

Hughes Planning and Development Consultants further stated that the scheme “will reduce the number of students availing of rental units and digs, providing purpose units designed for their educational development”.

Dublin City Council refused permission on the number of grounds. It concluded that the proposed student accommodation provided an insufficient quantum of appropriate and usable indoor and outdoor communal and recreational facilities to serve the 120-bedspace scheme, thus undermining the amenity of future occupants of the accommodation.

The council also concluded that the proposal would detract from the residential amenities of existing residents and potential occupants through overbearing and overlooking impacts.

It stated that the scheme would injure the amenities of property in the vicinity.

Local residents claimed that the scheme would overshadow and dominate the existing one- and two-storey residential homes due to its excessive height and scale.

The residents also claimed that the adjacent houses of Richmond Lodge and Convent Avenue would be severely impacted including privacy for those residents.

The developers have the option of appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála.