Two south Dublin garden centres are to be turned into an upmarket residential scheme.
Mackey's Garden Centre and the adjoining Harry Byrne's Garden Centre in Sandycove are set to be redeveloped as an apartment development, following a grant of approval from Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
Developer Otranto Properties has been given the all clear to by the council to demolish the two garden centres to make way for 51 apartments laid out in one four-storey and one three-storey block. designed to look like houses.
The prime 1.4-acre site backs onto Castlepark School and will have frontage onto Castlepark Road. The site comprises the two existing garden centres, one of which includes a private dwelling, and part of the side and rear garden of 1 Castle Close.
Called Castlepark Residences, the scheme will feature a gym, swimming pool and concierge service.
The design of the scheme will complement the neighbouring Victorian houses, both in scale and materials, according to Denis Byrne Architects. The facades will be red brick with traditional lime mortar and limestone surround at window openings.
In granting permission the council's planner stated: "Given the underlying problem of falling population levels in the built-up areas of the county, it is crucial that the most efficient use be made of urban building land. This is particularly the case in locations close to good quality transport links and other services.
"It is considered that the proposed development has been designed to be site specific and has managed to strike a balance between the reasonable protection of the amenities and privacy of adjoining dwellings and the need to provide residential infill."
There were 30 objections to the scheme, mainly on the grounds of traffic, height, density, depreciation of property value and loss of public amenity.
Securing permission from the local authority was the first planning hurdle for the developer, which is controlled by Wesley Curran and Graham O'Donnell.
It is likely that the scheme will be appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
