Property developers have in the space of five days lodged plans for more than 8,500 residential units with An Bord Pleanála.
Up to 30 separate schemes comprising of a total of 8,501 residential units have been put before the appeals board under strategic housing development (SHD) legislation.
The bulk of the planned homes – 6,308 – were lodged with the board by 21 developers under the pre-planning application consultations facility.
This is where An Bord Pleanála, in conjunction with local authority planners, carries out a preliminary examination of a scheme to see if it forms the basis for an SHD scheme or requires further amendment.
A further nine SHD schemes comprising 2,193 residential units have been lodged with the appeals board and decisions on those applications will be made within 16 weeks.
The wave of applications comes as the current SHD system is to be phased out next year and replaced with the large-scale residential developments (LSRD) system that will restore planning decision powers for large residential developments to local authorities.
The Government has allowed pre-planning applications for SHDs up until December 17th under the plan to abolish the SHD system.
Under the current SHD system, developers can bypass local authorities and lodge plans for schemes directly with An Bord Pleanála.
However, a significant number of decisions to grant permission for SHDs are currently subject to judicial review in the High Court.
The bulk of the latest pre-planning applications, constituting 2,885 residential units, are for Dublin in 12 separate schemes.
The largest scheme in the capital under consultation is by Serendale Ltd and is for 468 apartments close to the Omni Park Shopping Centre, Swords Road, Dublin 9.
In another large planned scheme, Ironborn Real Estate Ltd has entered consultation concerning its plans to build 445 apartments at Sector 3, Aiken's Village, Stepaside, Dublin 18.
Largest scheme nationwide
The largest scheme in the country that has entered consultation is for 694 residential units made up of 418 houses and 276 apartments in Ashbourne, Co Meath. The scheme is by Arnub Ltd and Aspect Homes.
Murnane & O’Shea Ltd has entered consultation with the appeals board on its plans to construct 685 homes made up of 365 houses and 320 apartments at Greenfield, Ballincollig, Co Cork.
Silvermount Ltd has already gone through the consultation process and has now lodged plans for 545 build-to-rent apartments for Concorde Industrial Estate, Naas Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.
The large number of applications comes as An Bord Pleanála on Wednesday cleared the way for the construction of a 115-apartment SHD scheme at Frankfort Castle, Old Frankfort, Dundrum, in Dublin 14.
The appeals board has granted planning permission despite more than 50 objections lodged against the Pembroke Partnership scheme.
The appeals board has also granted planning permission despite Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council recommending that planning permission not be granted on three separate grounds.
The council recommended that the planning permission be refused after concluding that the proposed development would appear visually obtrusive and overbearing when viewed from properties in Highfield Park and Frankfort Court and negatively impact upon residential amenity by way of overlooking and overshadowing.
