Glenveagh Builders are challenging the Fingal County Council’s denial of their proposal for a €60 million, 135-apartment project at Deer Park, Howth. Glenveagh’s subsidiary, GLL PRS Holdco Limited, has referred the rejection to An Bord Pleanála. The scheme includes four blocks of apartments, varying in height from three to five floors, comprising of 72 two-bedroom apartments and 63 one-bedroom units on a 3.8-acre area.
In the application’s associated planning report, it stated that the proposed development would contribute to sustainable residential development on untouched land, thereby promoting diversity in housing options along Howth Road and its surroundings. It asserted that the project further supports the efficient utilization of land-zoned residential and would cater to the housing shortage in the nearby area and county, especially beneficial due to its close proximity to Howth Dart Station.
Contrarily, the project has been met with local opposition. Maria Doyle from Balkill Park, Howth, expressed concerns that such a development could overshadow Howth’s distinctiveness.
To adhere to Part V social housing regulations, the developers suggested selling 14 apartments to Fingal County Council. A costing report filed with the application set a tentative price of €6.17 million for these 14 apartments, with two-bedroom units suggested at €472,032 each and €410,129 for the one-bedroom units.
Previously, the site obtained planning permission from An Bord Pleanála for a 113-unit Strategic Housing Development (SHD). However, the permission was overturned by the High Court following a Judicial Review dispute. Planning consultants McCutcheon Halley, for the new project suggested the inclusion of additional units in the recent application provides a better proposal with a significantly smaller footprint, superior architectural quality, and responses to the site’s sensibilities.
In a thorough dismissal of the plan, the council expressed that due to the project’s magnitude, structure, bulk, and total elevation, the suggested development did not adequately interact with the primary and nearby historical and natural environment of the location situated in a designated area of high sensitivity. It is also within a protective boundary for the Howth Special Amenity Area Order and is adjacent to the Howth Castle Architectural Conservation Area.