Watch this Space

Residents appeal Chesterfield planResidents in the Blackrock area have appealed planning permission to build 76 houses on the grounds of Chesterfield, the home of the late co-founder of Roadstone, Tom Roche, and a protected structure.

The large period home on almost nine acres at Cross Avenue, Blackrock, was bought for €45 million in 2004 by Myles Crofton of Naus Developments. Planning permission was given for 76 houses and 45 apartments to Mr Crofton's Avenue Homes earlier this year by Dún Laogharie Rathdown County Council. The Southwood Park Residents Association and the Cross Avenue Residents are among appellants to An Bord Pleanála.

Meanwhile, permission to build four houses and a swimming pool on the grounds of Traverslea, a six-bedroom Victorian house in Glenageary, Co Dublin has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by the Irish Georgian Society. The owners of Traverslea were given permission to refurbish the house, build an extension, erect a conservatory and turn a coach-house into a family home and build three additional houses.

Constructing new buildings within the walled garden will "forever alter" the character and "diminish" the walled garden, according to the society, which noted that the house is also of historic significance as it was the home of the renowned landscape painter Nathaniel Hone.

Beautiful planning day for U2 duo

Bono, The Edge and businessman Harry Crosbie have been given approval to expand the Clarence Hotel, seven months after permission for a larger expansion was turned down by Dublin City Council. Brushfield Ltd, whose directors are U2's Paul Hewson (Bono), David Evans (The Edge) and property developer Harry Crosbie have been given the go-ahead to expand into 9-12 Wellington Quay and 9 Essex Street East.

The company applied for permission to build a seven-storey wing at 8 and 9 Essex Street East, making it the same height as an existing section of the hotel. Numbers 9, 11 and 12 Wellington Quay will be changed to hotel use as well.

The three, who lease the hotel at 6-8 Wellington Quay and 6-8 Essex Street East from Anglo-Irish Bank, were refused permission last June to build a nine-storey hotel wing at numbers 8 and 9 Essex Street East because the new wing would be of "excessive" height and of a "severely uncompromising" design.