83 into three won't go - yet

Dublin housebuilder Bryan Cullen will have to have a little more patience in his attempt to squeeze 83 apartments into a three-acre site at Mount Merrion Avenue in Blackrock. Just six months after paying £8 million for one of the best pieces of land in Blackrock, the planners have refused permission for the scheme. Cullen may not be too surprised by the initial reaction of the council because the site backs on to the listed houses of Waltham Terrace, where the residents are sure to have campaigned vigorously against development beyond their back walls. However, it seems likely he will eventually get planning for a decent sized scheme now that the planners are encouraging high densities. The land forms part of a five-acre site which has been owned by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart since 1968.