Apartments beside parochial hall in Glenageary rejected:Developer John O'Connor has lost his first party appeal to An Bord Pleanála to build a 27-unit apartment development beside St Paul's Parochial Hall, a protected structure, at Adelaide Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin.

He was looking to convert the hall into two apartments, demolish a modern annexe to its rear and build three low-rise apartment blocks accessed through a modified entrance at the hall and Barkel car sales site. Aimed at the luxury market, the apartments were all to have private terraces.

The board ruled that the design, bulk, height and scale of the new buildings would be overly dominant and intrusive, and would have an adverse impact on the character and setting of the parochial hall and take away from the look of the road. Another criticism was that it would be "visually overbearing" from adjoining dwellings.

Foxrock apartment scheme rejected by appeals board

The Urban Two Ltd Partnership has been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála to demolish the late 19th century Springfield House and a dormer bungalow at 4 Springfield Park in Foxrock, Dublin 18, and build 23 apartments in a three and four-storey building with a basement car-park containing 32 spaces.

The board received four appeals in response to planning permission granted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, including one from Springfield Residents Association. Loreto College and An Taisce submitted observations about the scheme.

The planning board said the height, massing and "overly complex and horizontal design", as well as its proximity to an adjoining period property (Shandrum), would be inconsistent with the character of the area.

It also criticised the size of the apartments, the location of the access (which also serves the Loreto Convent secondary school) and said the number of car-parking spaces were inadequate.