Riversmith Ltd, a sister company of Zoe Developments, has been granted planning permission for a large-scale apartment development on the site of one of Dublin's landmark convents and boarding schools, Loreto Abbey on Grange Road in Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.

The redevelopment of the 12.1-acre site, sold by the Loreto Sisters in 1999 for a figure believed to be in the region of £14 million (17.8m), will include the construction of 10 blocks of 317 one and two-bedroom apartments, including 18 penthouses.

They will be located to the rear of the existing imposing granite-faced structure acquired by the order in 1822.

The blocks will vary between two and four stories and the apartments are expected to be pitched at the middle to upper sector of the market. There will also be 607 basement car-parking spaces.

Riversmith has permission for a change of use of most of this area from institutional uses to a 102-bedroom nursing home of more than 90,000 sq ft.

Five extensions will be added to the existing buildings to accommodate the nursing home which will include a new lobby, two new stairwells and a lift shaft extension totalling over 7,000 sq ft.

The five buildings comprise 100,000 sq ft and include the central Georgian block flanked by the church on one side and the concert hall and gymnasium on the other.

Two of the buildings are protected structures, which means that their inherent architectural quality has to be kept intact,. The land has all been sold off in lots since 1973.

In the main building, an external staircase leads to a large Palladian-style entrance hall with decorative ceilings at first floor level. There are two other reception rooms.

The magnificent church which was built in collaboration with Pugin, the famous English architect, has a glazed-dome central atrium above the marble altar. The floor beneath the church had been used as a kitchen and the two floors above comprise bedrooms and bathrooms.

The developers applied for a change of use of the lower ground floor of the chapel to nursing home use. Outbuildings to the north of the main building will be used as offices and a creche.

Around 33 surface car spaces will cater for the nursing home, creche and office facility.

The remaining two outbuildings and two prefabricated study rooms to the northern side of the main building and the annexe to the south-east Georgian house are to be demolished.

Access to the new residential units, the office and creche will be via Dispensary Lane which is to be widened.

The existing boundary wall at Dispensary Lane will be demolished and rebuilt and a number of protected trees removed.