Mount Merrion planning refusal to be appealed

Developers Paddy McKillen Jr and Matt Ryan are to appeal a refusal of their plans for 46 apartments, a cafe, pub, restaurant and shops at the site of the former Kiely's public house in Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last week refused permission for the four- to five-storey development on the site at Deerpark Road, North Avenue and Wilson Road. The council received almost 340 objections to the development.

It refused planning permission on the grounds of the “scale, siting, layout, bulk and height” of the development.It would seriously detract from the area in terms of visual amenity, the council said.

Several months ago, the Kiely’s site was bought by the businessmen, who opened Union Café with a deli, wine shop and grocers at the front, while the pub underwent a refurbishment and name change to Kennedy’s.

Mr McKillen Jr and Mr Ryan sought permission to demolish the four-storey building and replace it with a mixed-use building with 15,800sq m of floor space.

A spokeswoman for the developers said they would be appealing the refusal to An Bord Pleanála.