An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to fast-track plans for an apartment scheme for Deer Park in Howth, Co Dublin, in spite of a large number of objections to the scheme locally.
However, the appeals board has reduced the scale of the scheme from 162 apartments to 113 apartments after ordering the removal of the top floor in each of the three apartment blocks resulting in a maximum height of four to five storeys.
The permission granted to GLL PRS Holdco for the Deer Park scheme is one of three Strategic Housing Development (SHD) schemes comprising 621 units that the appeals board has granted permission for in Dublin.
In a separate case, the appeals board granted permission to the Shoreline Partnership for an additional 338 units to bring to 882 the number of units at the “Coast”, northwest of Baldoyle village in Dublin 13.
One of the 15 apartment blocks in that development reaches 15 storeys in height.
In a third decision, An Bord Pleanála has granted planning to Square Foot Property Services Ltd a €46 million plan to construct a 170-unit “build to rent” apartment scheme at Glen Abbey Complex, Belgard Road, Cookstown industrial estate at Dublin 24.
Deer Park
In relation to the Deer Park scheme for Howth across three blocks, 51 third-party submissions were lodged with the board.
In the submissions, locals were concerned Howth is being overdeveloped, that local primary schools were already at capacity and that the density of the scheme is not in keeping with the character of the area.
Fingal County Council also recommended planning permission be refused for the scheme across a number of headings.
It stated the proposal would not be acceptable given the excessive scale within this extremely sensitive setting, which would have a detrimental impact on the setting of protected structures including Howth Castle.
However, the board said the scheme’s reduced height and scale would be appropriate and that the proposed development is acceptable in all other respects. It said the scheme is on a strategic site for housing as being of only a few remaining vacant sites identified for housing in Howth.
