WATCH OUT for a final decision on the future of Seán Dunne's Ballsbridge site in the coming days and, after an epic battle to get high-rise onto the site, the indications are that the Dublin city planners are preparing to announce their solution which is likely to go a long way to satisfying the developer, and at the same time placating objections to the 37-storey element.

The planning issue has become somewhat bogged down by the broader economic climate and particularly the slowdown in the property market.

The argument that to deny the density will bring down the banking system, seems a bit far fetched. The reality is that no one wants a boarded up site in the middle in Ballsbridge. It's a neighbourhood that could certainly do with a major injection of life, in the form of shops, restaurants, offices and homes but the planners must be very uneasy about the heights involved.

The precedent has been set on the adjoining vet college site for a 15-storey development. It's a long way from there to 37 but in between there's clearly scope for an agreement that will suit the city, the builder and the banks. Whatever the final shape of the scheme, don't expect to see builders on site in the coming months. It seems likely that Dunne, like Ray Grehan, will sit tight until there are signs of a pick up in the top end of the property market.