Dunne to redevelop Hume House

Developer Seán Dunne has been granted permission to demolish and rebuild Hume House, a 1960s office block in Ballsbridge, Dublin.

An Bord Pleanála granted permission to Mountbrook, a company owned by Mr Dunne, for the development. Approval was granted with 16 conditions, including that external finishes for the building should be agreed in advance with Dublin City Council.

Financier Dermot Desmond had objected to the proposal, describing the new design for Hume House as "ugly". He had said the facade treatment and the quality of the design were both "poor" and the materials "seem to be chosen for their cost effectiveness as opposed to their design interest".

Hume House, a nine storey office block on Northumberland Road built in 1966, was called after its UK developers, Hume Holdings. It was one of the high profile acquisitions made by Mr Dunne in 2005.

He acquired it from Irish Life when he swapped it for a docklands property.

The planned new building, nine storeys tall at its highest point, will be nine metres taller than the existing building.

It will be built in a "Y" shape, of six, eight and nine storeys high over a three-level basement. The development includes over 16,000 square metres of office space and over 3,000 square metres of basement space.

Finishes include aluminium, sandstone and white stone facades with extensive glazing.

In a statement, Mountbrook said it was "delighted" at the decision.