An Bord Pleanála has ruled against a proposal to demolish the Foxrock house that featured prominently in a 1997 court case involving the Irish Permanent Building Society and its former chief executive, Dr Edmund Farrell, and build 10 houses on its grounds. Edel Morgan reports.
This overturns permission granted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the development to Pirolimian Ltd, the owners of Grasmere on Westminster Road. The directors of Pirolimian are former hotelier David Doyle, his wife, Cristina Doyle, and Bernard McAvoy, who bought the mid 19th century 445 sq m (4,790 sq ft) house on 1.4 acres from Dr Farrell in 1999 for in excess of £1.8 million (€2.2 million).
The decision has been welcomed by the eight local appellants, Foxrock Area Development and seven households on Westminster Road.
Among the grounds of appeal were that the development is premature pending the adoption of the development plan, as the site is within an area which could be designated an architectural conservation area. Another issue was that the proposed houses would constitute overdevelopment of the site, and would infringe on the building line of Westminster Road.
An Bord Pleanála said the development is out of character with the density, scale and layout of development on this section of Westminster Road and is too close to the boundaries of adjoining residential development.
