It was announced today that plans by IRES to complete the long-running Rockbrook scheme at Sandyford in South Dublin have been refused by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
This comes in the midst of a major housing shortage in Dublin and is despite IRES submitting revised plans based on Council requests for further information in November 2016. The decision has further highlighted the inconsistency of decision making at Council level in Ireland, despite being guided by the national government to boost supply.
IRES had been planning to complete the earlier John Fleming developed scheme by finishing 492 residential units at Rockbrook, later revised down to 467 units after the council requested revisions. IRES currently owns 335 apartments in the area, so the development represented a significant opportunity.
The Council cite among their reasons for refusal that the proposed development would have “an overbearing impact, would result in an oppressive built environment”. This is despite nearby schemes, such as the Sentinel Building rising to a
similar height (14 stories).
According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "The planning refusal for IRES’s Rockbrook scheme is likely to delay any development at the site by at least six months, and given the inconsistency of decision making by Council planners, even a further revised proposal aligned with planner’s guidelines may not be so straightforward."
They added, "This is a disappointing result for IRES given this is a critical scheme in its development and expansion programme. Furthermore, this decision further frustrates the policy efforts of government to improve residential supply in a highly constrained market."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
