Dublin City Council has given the green light to home builder, Cairn Homes, for its revised €295 million apartment scheme on former RTÉ lands at Montrose, Donnybrook in Dublin 4.
In giving the 510-apartment scheme the go-ahead, the council planner’s report said “the proposed changes to this development have resulted in a higher quality residential amenity for future occupiers of the development”.
Cairn Homes Montrose Ltd previously secured planning permission from An Coimisiún Pleanála for 608 units at the site in July 2023. The new scheme omits all ‘build to rent’ apartments that had featured in that scheme.
The newly approved proposal comprises 326 two-bed apartments, 125 one-bed apartments, 51 three-bed apartments and eight studios across eight apartment blocks. Three of those blocks will rise to 10 storeys in height.
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Among 19 conditions attached to the permission, the city council has ordered Cairn to pay €5.43 million towards the provision of public infrastructure.
The grant of permission comes more than eight years after Cairn Homes agreed a €107.5 million deal with RTÉ in June 2017 to purchase just under nine acres of lands at the broadcaster’s Donnybrook headquarters.
Two previous applications have been the focus of strong local opposition but only one objection was lodged against the now approved scheme.
Brian and Orla Murphy from Stillorgan Rd, Donnybrook, D4 said the “scale, mass and density of the proposal even at the marginally reduced scale in the resubmitted plans is excessively overdevelopment”.
“We do appreciate that the developer wants to maximise the return on their investment but surely a better plan could be found for this landmark site that would create a community where people can live for many years with their families,” the Murphys wrote.
The Murphys had opposed the previous scheme that was also approved and had been one of seven parties to lodge unsuccessful appeals with An Coimisiún Pleanála against the Dublin City Council grant of planning permission for that plan.
