26 apartments at St Basil’s refused planning permission

PLANS to demolish three existing apartment units and bin store for newer three- to six-storey apartment blocks have been refused planning permission by South Dublin County Council for potentially resulting in a “diminished quality of character in Tallaght”.

On three grounds, the planning authority refused to grant permission to O’Mahony Holdings SPRL to construct 26 residential apartments across two blocks at St Basil’s Training Centre on the Greenhills Road in Tallaght.

The first reason for refusing permission was that the proposed development “would materially contravene the Local Area Plan in relation to the intensity of development”, which would result in “underdevelopment”.

“Due to the height and mass treatment of Block B, the proposed development fails to respond to the specific local historic context of the block location,” the decision letter reads.

According to the council, the applicant “fails” to demonstrate what visual impact the block would have on St Basil’s Training Centre, which is a protected structure.

As for Block A, the council is of the understanding that it “will have an overall negative impact on the character of Tallaght Village Architectural Conservation Area”.

With it’s proximity to Main Street and The Priory Demesne, the development “would result in a diminished quality of character in Tallaght”.

Lastly, with the provision of just 15 carpark spaces in the plans, the proposed development “will result in increased parking along Old Greenhills Road, causing a traffic hazard”, according to the council.

A significant number of submissions were received by the planning authority including from Tallaght Community Council (TCC) – which was supported by Deputy Francis Noel Duffy and Deputy John Lahart.

Many of the submissions took aim at the intensity of the development, with the 95-page TCC objection highlighting that the site in question is located beside and opposite “single storey homes” and a “schoolhouse”.

“Concerns arise over how this planning application seeks to raise the ceiling for what is an acceptable scale of development on Old Greenhills Road to beyond what has ever previously been considered acceptable and beyond that provided for in local planning policy including by the Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan (LAP) 2020,” the letter reads.

TCC also stated that it believed the accommodation mix to be “unacceptable” as “there is a need” for family-sized accommodation.

Block A of the proposed development comprises of 11 residential apartments (around 1,256 sq m) arranged in a five- to six-storey building and include a ground-floor cafe.

Block B comprises of 15 residential apartments (around 1,393 sq m) in a three- to five-storey building.

The break down of the apartments is six one-bedrooms, seven two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms with associated balconies and terraces.

The entire project comprises of a total of 40 apartments, which is derived from 26 new apartments and the existing 14 units at the site.

The subject site is currently partly developed with an existing residential scheme known as Greenhill’s Court, which comprises of 17 apartments in four apartment blocks ranging in height from two and four storeys.

Plans included the relocation of the existing basement access on Old Greenhills Road and the extension of the basement.

There was provision of parking for 13 cars, 74 long-stay bicycles, one motorcycle at that basement level included in the application.

In November, the applicant supplied the local planning authority with requested additional information.

O’Mahony Holdings SPRL was requested to address the necessity to demolish the three-storey block, which the council called an “extreme measure”.

It was mentioned in the additional information that the proposed development had been reduced from the original 40 apartments down to 37 residential units.

The final decision to refuse permission was taken by South Dublin County Council on December 13, 2021.