Dublin City Council has given the green light to €475 million plans to construct a large scale mixed-use scheme for the redevelopment of DIT’s former Kevin Street Campus in Dublin.
Last May, Shane Whelan’s Westridge Real Estate lodged plans for the development of 53,110 ft of office accommodation in two 11-storey blocks alongside 299 build-to-rent apartments across three buildings of up to 14 storeys in height.
Westridge acquired the 3.57 acre site for €140 million in August 2019 and a report lodged with the plans by EY estimates that the total output that the redevelopment will generate over 10 years is €7.67 billion.
Planning permission
Now, the city council has granted planning in spite of opposition from Labour Party senator Ivana Bacik, An Taisce and local residents.
The council granted planning after the developers reduced the scale of the proposal where the quantum of office space has been reduced from 53,110 sq.m to 50,008 sq m in response to local authority concerns.
Underlining the size of the scheme - even after reductions in scale - the Council has ordered that the developers pay €3.9 million in planning contributions towards public infrastructure and an additional €1.5 million in respect of the Luas Cross City Scheme.
The Council granted planning permission after concluding that the development on the whole is considered to be acceptable and would not seriously negatively impact on the area.
The planner's report also considered that the proposal is in compliance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
Opposition
In her submission, Senator Bacik told Dublin City Council that she was concerned that the proposal “will have a deleterious effect on the quality of life for residents in the locality”.
She added: “I do not and would not object to high density developments in principle, but the mass and bulk of this proposal’s design lowers residential amenity and I know that the proposed height is of particular concern to many residents.”
In his submission on behalf of An Taisce's Dublin City Association, Kevin Duff contended the demolition of the buildings on site to make way for the new development “is not justifiable”.
He stated that the proposed development “appears over-scaled and over-massed for the location”.
Mr Duff argued: “The applicant is simply seeking to squeeze an excessive quantum of new development onto the site when the existing buildings should be maintained and re-used.”
Professor of History at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and local resident, Jane Ohlmeyer claimed that the proposal “will have an over-powering detrimental effect visually on our street”.
Residents
The residents of Blocks 1 and 2 of Bishop Street Flats also lodged objections against the proposal claiming that the height of the 14 storey towers will impact on the privacy of every resident in the Bishop Street flats.
In his submission, Former Environment Editor at the Irish Times, Frank McDonald claimed that the massive scale of the proposal is driven by the €140m price paid for the site.
Mr McDonald stated that the height, scale and mass of the proposed development would fundamentally change the character of the area, "leaving existing residents to live cheek by jowl with this imposing representation of the ‘New Dublin’".
Third parties now have the option of appealing the Council decision to An Bord Pleanala.
