Objections to Donnybrook tower: An Taisce and a number of residents' associations are among groups who have written to An Bord Pleanála regarding Denis O'Brien's controversial's plans to build a 26-storey building in Donnybrook, Dublin 4.

The planning board is due to make a decision on the proposal in the next week. Partenay Ltd , a consortium headed by Denis O'Brien, is appealing Dublin City Council's decision to refuse permission for the mixed-use building last year.

A total of 10 submission have been received by the board regarding the scheme, which was to be located between Donnybrook Garda station and the local fire station, on the former BizQuip site.

The building is situated in an area where most buildings are two-storeys high and is of "excessive height" and would be "overbearing and totally our of character", according to An Taisce.

Traffic, parking, overshadowing and density concerns were raised by residents in the area in submissions to the board. The scheme is "totally out of scale" with Donnybrook village and is "utterly out of sympathy" with the area, according to the Eglinton Residents' Association.

Hotel conversion in D4: The Four Season's Hotel in Dublin 4 are seeking permission to convert part of the Ballsbridge hotel hotel into serviced apartments.

The hotel's owners, Nollaig Nominee Ltd, are seeking permission to convert the entire fifth floor of the hotel and part of the fourth floor into 24 serviced apartments, which will be called the Residences at Four Seasons.

Internal alterations will include the construction of a landscaped roof garden on the first floor. Tow existing firth floor roofs will also be converted into private roof terraces.

Monivea Castle plan rejected: An Bord Pleanála has turn down plans to build a retirement village and 80-bed hotel on the grounds of Monivea Castle in Co Galway.

The scheme proposed by Monivea Community Development Co-operative Society included the construction of 120 houses, a community care building, an 80-bed nursing home, hotel and leisure centre in woodlands on the Castle Demense.

The scheme would constitute "excessive" overdevelopment of the lands, would negatively affect the historical layout of the village of Monivea and its relationship with the historical landscape of Monivea Demense, according to the appeals board.