DUN Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's refusal to grant planning permission this week for two office schemes in Sandyford Industrial Estate may represent a hardening of attitudes towards this kind of development.

J E O'Brien and Sons (Property) Ltd was refused permission for 160,000 sq ft of space for tele-marketing and software development in two buildings, one of them of four storeys plus penthouse and the other four/five storey with a penthouse. It was planned to provide an underground car-park on the 1.9acre site at Carmanhall Road and Ballymoss Road. The second refusal was for a development of 124,000 sq ft of tele-marketing and other space in three blocks at Carmanhall Road and Ravensrock Road. Tack Packaging lodged the planning application for the 1.45-acre site.