Permission is being sought by developers to raze a large detached house in Blackrock, which will be replaced by 13 houses in total. Trianon on Granville Road, Blackrock, came on the market in 2012 asking €1.75 million and finally sold in May 2014 for its full asking price to a development company called Floramount.

The company's directors are serial-investor Brendan Gilmore, property developer Gerry Haughey and estate agent Des Donnelly. The Gilmore and Haughey families each hold a 50 per cent shareholding in Floramount through their respective investment vehicles – Granville Properties and Haddington Properties.

Trianon required significant modernisation, however the property was purchased solely for its prime c1.6 acre site. While some developers may have overlooked the home’s development potential due to its limited access, with no direct road frontage other than its relatively narrow but long driveway on Granville Road, Floramount teamed up with the owner of an adjacent property to secure adequate access to the landlocked site.

The owners of adjoining 9 Knocksinna Crescent, a large bungalow located at the end of a sleepy suburban cul-de-sac, submitted consent for Floramount to apply for permission to build a new road through their garden.

Floramount’s initial application was refused last year with in excess of 50 objections lodged against the planned development by fiercely opposed locals. Following an An Bord Pleanála appeal, the developer obtained planning for a 188sq m detached house, to be served by Trianon’s original driveway. Under the latest application, Floramount wishes to redevelop the remainder of Trianon’s site with 12 new two- to four-bedroom homes, each ranging in size from 89sq m to 202sq m to be accessed from Knocksinna Crescent. Eleven of the proposed houses will be three-storeys high, with the remaining house a bungalow.