An unsafe playground was cited as one of the reason for refusing planning permission for a residential development in Killiney.

Planners at Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council have turned down plans to build 29 houses at the home of fashion retailer Seán Barron on Ballinclea Road.

O'Flynn Construction was looking to demolish the house on the 2.8-acre site to make way for three detached houses, 22 semi-detached houses and four terraced houses.

The Cork-based developer purchased the six-bedroom house - called Broadlands - from Barron, the man behind the Pamela Scott brand, in 2006 for €22 million. The house had its own tennis court and lots of mature trees.

The site has a prime location opposite the entrance to Killiney Golf Club. It backs on to Cluny Park and has extensive frontage on to Ballinclea Road.

Six of the proposed 29 houses were ear-marked for social and affordable housing. A pedestrian link from the scheme to Cluny Park formed part of the plans.

There were eight objections to the scheme. Issues raised included concerns about traffic hazard, overshadowing, overdevelopment and loss of trees and hedgerows.

O'Flynn Construction's proposals were refused by the council on a number of grounds. The planning inspector found that the proposed development would "seriously injure" the amenities of property in the vicinity.

The council was also critical of the depths of rear gardens at the proposed houses and the provision of open space in the scheme.

The parks department of the council deemed that the location of the play area in the scheme beside the entrance onto Ballinclea Road was "not safe" and did not appear to have any protective fencing. It would be necessary to rearrange the entire layout of the site to remedy these problems, the parks department said.