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AN BORD PLEANÁLA has granted planning permission for the long-anticipated €400 million redevelopment of the O’Devaney Gardens site in Dublin.
The scheme by Richard Barrett’s Bartra is comprised of 1,047 residential units and includes 10 apartment blocks.
The units are made up of 1,024 apartments and 23 houses with the site located
in the north west inner city, adjoining the residential area of Stoneybatter.
One of the apartments blocks is to reach 14 storeys in height with two others rising to 12 storeys.
After a deal struck between Bartra and Dublin City Council, half of the scheme is to be made up of social and affordable homes.
The breakdown of the housing will be 30 per cent social housing, 20 per cent affordable and 50 per cent private housing.
Three hundred and eighteen of the units will be 1 bed (30 per cent), 567 two bed (54 per cent) and 162 three bed units.
Addressing the housing mix and the development agreement between Bartra and the city council, appeals board inspector, Elaine Power concluded that the scheme is “unique” due to its location, scale and mix of tenure “and is critical and integral to the success of national policy in addressing both housing and homelessness in the city and consolidating the urban environment”.
The Dublin City Development Plan allows building heights of up to 24 metres for the area and the 14 storey tower reaches to 46.8 metres in height.
Four other blocks in the scheme also exceed the 24m height limit for the area.
However, Power stated that the area can accommodate increased heights proposed and that the number of units proposed will assist in achieving national policy objectives for significant housing delivery in an urban area with substantial amenities.
Power concluded that the material contravention of the city development plan concerning heights for the area is justified.
An Bord Pleanála received 44 third party submissions in response to the proposal.
Power stated that the submissions are generally supportive of the redevelopment of the site – but did outline the concerns expressed over height, design, and residential amenity.
In its own submission, Dublin City Council voiced its approval for the scheme.
However, in a strident objection, Stoneybatter resident, Rob Kenny stated that he was “horrified” at the Bartra plan.
Self described TV & Radio presenter, TV stylist and PR Director, Mr Kenny said that the scheme is “obtrusive, intimidating and in no way fitting with the style or character of its surrounds”.
Kenny added later in his objection, “I have heard numerous neighbours say that with these plans, combined with the plans for the Infirmary Road developments and Montpelier Hill there will be no point in living in this area soon, which many of us love deeply and have put all of our money into”.
Pat Corrigan of Oxmantown, D7, told the appeals board that the height of the buildings, including one at 14 storeys, “is way too high and doesn’t fit with the existing heights in the area”.
Corrigan argued that the scheme “will dwarf the historic village of Stoneybatter”.
O’Devaney Gardens located close to the Phoenix Park in Dublin was built in the 1950s and was made up of 278 flats accommodating more than 1,000 people.
The council began moving tenants out around 17 years ago in preparation for the scheme’s demolition.
However, progress to redevelop the site has been hit by several setbacks since including builder Bernard McNamara pulling out of a public private partnership scheme in 2008 as the economy faltered.
By the time the deal had collapsed, most the flats had been emptied and the estate had become a magnet for vandalism.
As a result, the council decided to press ahead with the demolition.
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London and Paris are just as complicit keeping Putin in power. They should freeze these billionaire oligarchs bank accounts and deport them and their faimilies back to Russia. English football needs to get their money from less dubious sources, or every football fan has a hand in keeping navalny in prison
@Clurichaun: absolutely…… But its Convenient to look the other way. The Russians have used nuclear weapon and biological weapon in the UK. But with brexit they will want Russian money. So the decent Russians are on their own.
@Clurichaun: Did you see the beating the French police were giving protesters yesterday? People on the ground were being birched with big sticks, it’s difficult to be critical when police in Paris & Catalonia are doing exactly the same.
@Joe Thorpe: hardly the same thing. The people of Russia want freedom from generations of corruption and political assassinations. The geniuses in France won’t follow basic public health advice while thousands die in hospitals
@Joe Thorpe: Well that’s yellow vest nut jobs. We have then here too G.O.D I’d buy the French police a beer if what you said is true.
If this happened in the USA the condemnation and screams would be heard from across the Atlantic. I always find it amazing how the Russians and Chinese generally get a free pass from The Western Media. Very strange.
@Crispy Brown: nail on the head mate, why no putin hatred here in Ireland or condemnation, irish people are so manipulated in their thoughts by the mainstream media its hilarious, no putin bashers no?, most Irish people probably don’t even know who he is, just thousands of people on here for months saying how much better off the world is now without Donald trump, yer a joke,
@Crispy Brown: day do not speakit de English
@Hugo Bugo: got one thing right BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE TWITTERING TWIT
One cold-war era trained Heavy, and his favourite acquired sidemen, will be incapable of halting the march of a nation towards true democracy and freedom.
And Navalny is the Leader to see this through, given his past independence from outdated and corrupt Sovereign Governance machine ruling that eleven time-zoned Country for over three decades.
English Electorate, please observe closely and learn for fear of slippage into similar undemocratic ways by your political masters.
@Rory J Leonard: maybe you should check Navalny’s track record before you start putting any hopes in him. Another ‘pro democracy’ merchant with questionable values to say the least. I am not a supporter of Putin either
@alan: track record? Post. But not from Pro kremlin government controlled media
Like him or hate him Russia needs a strong leader like Putin. If Russia was to fall into the hands of anarchists there be dire consequences for the rest of the world.
@Michael Maher: or into US stooges like Yeltsin. A man who brought the country to its knees.
@Eugene Norman: Correct the man was a drunk.
@Eugene Norman: The blame for Putin lies squarely on US shoulders and the West in general. They put Yeltsin in power and enabled oligarchs by privatising public companies so they could do easier business deals. They went back on their promise to Gorbachev not to bring any more countries into Nato in return for a peaceful German reunification. Gorbachev knew exactly how Nato expansion into satellite countries would be used to fuel paranoia in Russia and leverage political opportunities.They even helped write the Russian constitution to suit their own ends. They have destroyed Ukraine through interfering in its economic and political affairs and afforded Putin the opportunity to annex Crimea without breaking sweat. The West has no moral high ground when it comes to Putin. They are reaping what they sowed.
@Michael Maher: It has fallen into the hands of a KGB agent (Putin) and a want to be dictator (Trump)
Apparently no one believed them when they said a Russian oligarch owned the palace with a no fly zone and 2km avoidance zone on the black sea.
Before you jump to conclusions make sure you look into navalny, a far right nationalist should not be supported blindly because you have been told putin is bad doesn’t mean anti-putin is better
Bring back the red flag
have your say