AN BORD Pleanála is to hold a preliminary meeting next Wednesday to deal with the 127 appeals it received on developer Seán Dunne's plans for the Jurys/Berkeley Court hotel sites in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
Most unusually, 87 of the 127 appeals are in support of the high-rise scheme, including one lodged on Mr Dunne's behalf seeking to reinstate elements that were omitted by Dublin City Council's planners - such as a proposed 37-storey tower.
The number of appeals is unprecedented for a planning case and processing them is known to have strained the board's resources. It now wants to establish how many of the appellants will attend a full oral hearing.
A spokeswoman for An Bord Pleanála said it had never before held a preliminary meeting to deal with a planning appeal. But the number of appellants in the Jurys/Berkeley Court case meant that there would be a "logistical problem" if they all turned up.
However, she emphasised that appellants who did not attend the preliminary meeting would still he heard if they turned up for the subsequent oral hearing, for which a date has yet to be set; it is expected to last for at least a week.
Among those who have made appeals in favour of the development are Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, who is cultural adviser for the project; public relations consultant Bill O'Herlihy and Shrewsbury Road resident and businessman Michael Maughan.Other appellants include four solicitors' firms (Johnsons, James Lucey Sons, Lennon Heather and Donal T McAuliffe) and four estate agents/chartered surveyors (CBRE, Colgan and Cox, Matt Dunne and Associates and Marion Chalmers of DTZ).
Three prominent builders also lodged appeals on Mr Dunne's side - GT Crampton, Ascon and Rohcon - and he also has the support of restaurateurs May Frisby of Pasta Fresca, Ann-Marie Nohl of the Expresso Bar and Kevin Arundel, of the Schoolhouse.
Fourteen letters from other appellants with addresses in Dublin 2 or Dublin 4 are in the same format, using the same layout and typeface, as if they were generated on a single computer. All were received on the same day and fees of €220 each were paid in cash.
Though the content of these letters is different, all express the writers' dismay at the city planners' decision to reject the proposed 37-storey tower, which is variously described as "magnificent", "iconic" and "the finest piece of architecture I have seen".
On the opposite side of the argument, planning consultants MacCabe Durney have compiled a detailed report for 11 residents' associations in the Ballsbridge area, all of whom are seeking to have the proposed development rejected in its entirety. Other appellants include billionaire financier Dermot Desmond, a resident of Ailesbury Road, who says the height and scale of any development should reflect the city's character and that he will be producing European examples at the oral hearing.
Substantial documents have been submitted by An Taisce, the Pembroke Road Association and a number of local residents, some of whom engaged their own planning consultants. These include former restaurateur Peter White, of Wellington Road.
Meanwhile, a Bord Pleanála oral hearing on more than 20 appeals relating to a proposed high-rise scheme by Glenkerrin Homes for the former veterinary college site in Ballsbridge is due to open on July 23rd.