Development of Victorian era home appealed

The Irish Georgian Society says a plan to turn Cornelscourt House off the Old Bray Road in Foxrock, Dublin 18 into three apartments would alter the historic character and setting of the mid 19th century house. Edel Morgan reports.

Three other parties, including Foxrock Area Development Ltd, also appealed planning permission granted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to Strandsend Ltd for the scheme.

The developer also plans to build eight two-bed apartments in a three-storey block over basement and four terraced mews houses, and convert the rear outbuildings to two mews apartments.

In its appeal, the Irish Georgian Society says the conservation report by architect David Slattery states that the interior of Cornelscourt House remains "substantially intact". It says that a condition of planning permission that all internal partitions should be removable is "disingenuous" because once subdivided, the house is unlikely to be ever returned to single occupancy. It is also objecting to the three-storey apartment block and mews houses because it says the erosion of garden spaces around historic buildings is becoming a trend throughout the country.

Foxrock Area Development Ltd is opposed to the height, scale and visual impact of the development and says it contravenes the zoning which is "to protect and/or improve residential amenity". It says a three-storey apartment block of contemporary design on the front lawn of a protected structure is "inappropriate". Two of the appeals came from couples living on nearby Cairn Hill. They say that some of the apartments in the three-storey block will overlook and overshadow the rear of their houses.

Strandsend Ltd, whose directors are Brian Durkan, Anthony Durkan and Geraldine Carter, bought the 929 sq m (10,000 sq ft) Victorian property, which was originally built for a Church of Ireland rector, for around €4.3 million two years ago. The house, which is a protected structure, is reached at the end of a long tree-lined driveway, with formal gardens sweeping down to a high granite wall that separates it from the motorway.