Councillors reject 15-storey tower planned for Ballsbridge

Plans for a 15-storey tower on the site of the former veterinary college in Ballsbridge have been rejected by a Dublin City Council committee, despite being less than half the height of a neighbouring scheme sought by property developer Seán Dunne.

The council's southeast area committee yesterday recommended the rejection of developer Ray Grehan's plans for the residential and commercial scheme on the grounds that the 15-storey tower, at 52 metres, was too high.

Mr Grehan submitted his plans for the site, for which he is reported to have paid €171.5 million, to the council in mid-August, just two weeks before Mr Dunne made his application for the neighbouring Jurys/Berkeley Court hotel site, which includes a 37-storey, 132m, tower.

The councillors' rejection of the plans for the old UCD veterinary college site does not bode well for Mr Dunne, whose scheme is due to come before the southeast area committee in the coming weeks.

The councillors' recommendation for rejection does not automatically mean that a development will not be granted planning permission. However, their views are taken into account by the city planners in the decision-making process.

Kieran Rose, senior planner with the council, told councillors yesterday that the scheme was of "high quality". There were no one-bedroom apartments in the 109-apartment scheme, 99 per cent of the apartments were "dual aspect" and each unit had an 8sq m storage unit in the basement, he said.

Labour councillor Dermot Lacey accepted the quality of the architecture, but said a 15-storey block was not suitable for the area. "The independent high-rise study did not pick out Ballsbridge as an area suitable for high rise. We can't agree to give planning permission just because the huge price paid for the land demands intensification for the developer to get their money back." He said the plans could not be judged in isolation.

Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan said the council "must not be held to ransom" by developers and should reject the application on the basis of height. He said it was in contravention of the city development plan.

Mr Grehan's development includes a public square which would adjoin Mr Dunne's development and, if approved, both schemes combined would deliver more than 600 apartments, new shops, restaurants, cinemas and "cultural venues", as well as office space.

Planning applications for both developments have come within months of the councillors' rejection of a new development plan for the Ballsbridge area which would have permitted a limited number of "landmark" high-rise buildings based on their architectural merit.

However, councillors last night passed a motion from Mr Lacey and new Fine Gael councillor Paddy McCartan calling for a new area plan to be drawn up.