Stillorgan locals ready to fight

AroundtheBlock:Residents in Stillorgan are limbering up for a major fight over the redevelopment of the Esmonde Motors site in the southside village.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has just given the green light to the owners of the garage to build an 11-storey development of apartments and an aparthotel on the site.

The fact that the decision was made the same week as the cut-off date for public submissions on the council's study of building heights did not impress the Stillorgan District and Community Alliance - an umbrella group representing no less than 23 residents groups in the area.

It has accused the council of ignoring the recommendations of their own building height study, which stated the maximum height in Stillorgan should not exceed six storeys. The council argues that the building height document is still at discussion phase.

The study, carried out by UK company Urban Initiatives, is due to be presented to councillors in March. If a consensus is reached, the report will more than likely be subsumed into the development plan and become a benchmark for planning decisions in the area, according to a spokesman for the planning department.

Meanwhile, the council is also due to publish its long-overdue local area plan for Stillorgan in March.

It's no surprise to hear that locals have vowed to appeal the Esmonde Motors site decision to An Bord Pleanála, where they hope they will have better luck. They could indeed, given that the board is prone to overturn permissions given by DLRCC, particularly on the issue of height.

Dunne's launch of Jurys plan postponed

Talking about issues of height, Sean Dunne has postponed the public launch of his proposed scheme for the Jurys site, which was to have taken place this week. The launch has been postponed for at least a month, when he will be close to making a planning application for the scheme, which on the face of it doesn't comply with Dublin City Council's plan for the area. It's thought unlikely now that his 32-storey scheme will find any favour in city hall. Meanwhile the team involved, from architects to engineers to planning consultants, are being primed by media consultants ahead of what is sure to be a lively and very public launch.

Group selling in Dublin's Hunterswood

Group selling takes on a new dimension this weekend when Sherry FitzGerald hosts a multiple viewing of second-hand houses and apartments at Hunterswood in Dublin 24. This settled estate off Ballycullen Road is minutes from an M50 intersection and on a city bus route.

Resales have been brisk in the past, now Sherry Fitz find themselves with no less than eight houses and apartments on their books. Vendors have been asked to get them spruced up for a 90-minute viewing this Saturday which viewers will be able to squeeze in long before the 5.30pm kick off in Croke Park.

On the market are two-bed apartments for €375,000, €381,000 and €415,000, one three-bedroom apartment for €420,000, a couple of two-bedroom duplexes at €370,000 and €381,000 and a two-bedroom semi for €450,000. A three-storey house with three reception rooms, three/four bedrooms and large back garden is €535,000. A high interior spec was a strong selling point when Hunterswood first went on the market and the pod bathrooms attracted much interest. Resale properties incur the dreaded stamp duty, but the benefits of flooring, appliances and mature gardens could outweigh the extra cost.