AN BORD Pleanála has blocked housebuilders Sheelin McSharry from converting Bushy Park House at Templeogue Road in Terenure, D6W into 14 apartments.

The board also refused to allow the basement of the listed building to be put into residential use rather than education/science and technology as allowed in a previous planning application.

The substantial Georgian house, previously a convent, is the centrepiece of extensive grounds where Sheelin McSharry has built 270 apartments and 18 houses over the past decade. Most of the units made top prices in the area.

Last July South Dublin County Council granted planning permission for the conversion of the house, subject to 20 conditions. The consent was appealed by a group of residents.

The appeals board said the 18th century house was of regional importance and of artistic and architectural interest.

The proposed development would detract, to an unacceptable degree, from the architectural integrity of the internal layout and it would entail the subdivision of several of its most important rooms.

The development would also lead to excessive fragmentation of the ownership of the house and would render highly improbable the reversibility of the proposed interventions.

The board also reported that the planned apartments in the basement extension would have a poor outlook and levels of natural light, and the areas of private open space would be heavily overlooked. This would result in a sub-standard form of development.

The board inspector had recommended rejection of the plan for the house, noting that architecturally important fireplaces “would face, meaninglessly, at a short distance towards partition walls”. He also complained that there would be no attempt to restore the original floor-to-ceiling heights on the front west side of the house.

Sheelin McSharry argued that the best method for conserving a historical building was to keep it in active use.