Local residents have welcomed the decision of councillors to reject a new area plan, coupled with rezoning proposals, for Ballsbridge in Dublin.
A statement issued last night by 14 residents' associations and groups in Ballsbridge said the plans would have allowed "massive development in Ballsbridge to a scale never before seen in the city".
On Monday night, Dublin City Council's south east area committee voted against the proposals which would have allowed for the high-rise developments planned by developer Seán Dunne for the Jurys and Berkeley Court hotel sites.
His plans for the €380 million, seven-acre site include a 32-storey building, as well as other high-rise buildings. The development would be a combination of residential units, hotel accommodation, entertainment centres and shopping areas. Mr Dunne was not available for comment yesterday.
The committee's decision will now go before a full meeting of Dublin City Council this summer. If it is upheld, attempts may then be made to introduce another local area plan.
The residents' groups pointed out that Dublin city councillors had rejected the designation of Ballsbridge as a prime urban centre just two years ago.
"It is extraordinary that now the city councillors are being asked by the city manager to adopt extensive rezoning of several tracts of land in Ballsbridge to allow for extremely intense development, and a local area plan that would have significantly more impact than the prime urban centre that they rejected just two years ago," the statement said.
"Serious questions have to be asked about how it is considered that an intensity of development that was not acceptable then is now being multiplied and presented to the city councillors for adoption."
The residents said they were "bitterly disappointed" that Dublin city planners were promoting rezoning "which would clearly benefit developers at the expense of the public good".
