Cairn approved for 380-apartment development on Griffith Avenue

Cairn Homes has been cleared to build a 385-home apartment development, including blocks up to eight storeys high, on Griffith Avenue, Marino, Dublin 3.

The project will be the first to exceed Dublin City Council's (DCC) height caps for developments, following a decision to relax height restrictions by Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy, due to the housing crisis.

Cairn Homes applied to build 377 apartments and eight houses on a three-hectare north Dublin site, that was previously owned by the Christian Brothers.

The planning application to build along the tree-lined avenue was submitted by Cairn under a fast track process for large housing developments.

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The development was approved by An Bord Pleanála (ABP) with a number of conditions attached, but without any requests for significant alterations to the plans.

The development would include 367 car-parking spaces, 682 bicycle-parking spaces, as well as a creche and gym for residents. It would comprise of seven apartment blocks, ranging from four to eight storeys in height, with underground parking.

Minister for State Finian McGrath and Independent councillor Damian O’Farrell had previously written to Marino residents outlining their opposition to the plans, which they said would be “totally out of kilter” with the area.

Several other north Dublin-based politicians submitted observations on the plans, including Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey, Independents4Change TD Tommy Broughan, and Labour Party Senator Aodhán O’Riordáin.

A number of local residents also submitted objections to the plans, including a petition signed by over 200 people, opposing the removal of a number of trees on Griffith Avenue for the proposed development.

Objections took issue with the lack of local consultation, potential increased traffic, and the proposed scale and height of the development.

At a DCC council meeting in January, councillors had been told the new Department of Housing guidelines “superseded” the height restrictions of 16m set by the local authority.

The eight storey apartment blocks would breach the council’s maximum allowed height for the area of by 10m.

However in DCC’s submission on the Griffith Avenue plan, the local authority said it “considered that the proposed height at a maximum of 26m is acceptable, and will not adversely impact on the residential amenities of adjoining properties”.

An ABP planning inspector report, completed on March 21st, recommended permission for the housing project be approved.

The majority of apartments were to be one or two-bed units, which was “desirable” as the existing area was “predominantly characterised by family homes”, the report said.

The site neighbours Scoil Mhuire Boys’ National School, and school management had expressed child welfare concerns about residential blocks overlooking the grounds of the primary school.

The ABP report concluded the housing development “would not result in a significant adverse impact on residential amenities by way of overlooking, overshadowing or visual obtrusion”.