Planning permission has been again granted for 562 homes at a site in Milltown in Dublin 6 which has been held up twice by appeals and judicial review proceedings.
Dublin City Council (DCC) granted planning permission at the Sandford Road site on Friday for a third time.
The 562 residential units will include 556 apartments, made up of 70 studios, 176 one-beds, 267 two-beds and 43 three-beds. There will also be six three-bedroom courtyard houses.
The apartment blocks on the site will range from two to eight storeys. Amenities will include a cafe/restaurant, a creche and other facilities for residents.
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DCC’s decision marks the third permission granted at the site in seven years.
The first application for planning permission, for 667 homes, was granted by An Bord Pleanála in 2021 and was subjected to judicial review. The file was remitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála and a new decision remains pending.
The second application, for 636 homes, was granted by DCC in 2023 and upheld by An Bord Pleanála in December of that year. That permission is subject to judicial review, with a hearing in the High Court expected later this year.
House builder Ardstone’s founder and chief executive Donal O’Neill welcomed DCC’s decision and urged the community to support the project so the development can begin.
In a statement, Ardstone said it acquired the site from the Jesuit religious in 2019.
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It also said despite the site receiving its third grant of planning permission, “no development has commenced as previous permissions have been held up in appeals and legal arguments which has meant that this key site for housing has been left undeveloped now for seven years”.
O’Neill said the company was keen to “urgently progress the project”.
He said it had been “absolutely frustrating to have met such resistance” to their plans in the middle of a housing crisis.
“We believe and hope that the community will support this project and we can commence development to meet the critical demand for housing in this area as quickly as possible,” he said.
In previous objections, residents opposed the scale of the previously proposed development and its proximity to existing housing.
The Norwood Residents Association in its objection told the council the scale, height and promixity of the blocks “will have an overbearing impact on all residents”.
Others submitted that the plans were “depressing, dark and imposing”, and highlighted the threat to nearby Ranelagh’s cultural life due to “inappropriate development”.
