The Dublin City Council has given the green light for a reduced version of a student accommodation project in Dublin 4. The Donnybrook Lawn Tennis Club was amongst the parties that opposed the initial Red Rock Donnybrook project, arguing that a 10-storey, 225-bed facility would greatly surpass Manhattan’s densities. The club voiced its strong objection to the Council, predicting the project would severely impact the club.
The Donnybrook Tennis club emphasised its status as a private institution with an expectation of privacy and not wanting to be overly overlooked. The original Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) application proposed the establishment of 193 bedrooms, purpose-built for students, and a cafe or retail unit on the location.
However, the council’s approval demanded that the originally planned development be scaled down from 10 to eight storeys. The removal of the third and eight floors has also led to a decrease in the number of bedrooms to 176 and the bed spaces to 170.
The Council has explained the reduction in the size and height of the project as necessary to preserve the aesthetic value of the street view and to maintain the character of the broader area. The 31-page planning report revealed the council’s stance that there lacked enough justification for the proposed plot ratio, which was deemed as substantially over the recommended standard and thus, tantamount to overdevelopment.
Regarding the building’s height, the report indicated that a 10-storey building would represent an overuse of the space which could potentially cause a displeasing visual impact on the landscape of Donnybrook village. The report also concluded that the downsized proposal would not drastically affect the residential amenities of the area.