Council planners criticise ‘alarming’ plans for over 1,000 rental homes in Drumcondra

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Plans for 1,600 build-to rent homes on the former Holy Cross seminary lands in Drumcondra have been criticised as “alarming” and “unbalanced” by planners for Dublin City Council.

In their submission to An Bord Pleanala, council planners criticised the fact that one bed and studio apartments would make up 71% of the Build To Rent scheme on Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra.

The proposal by international real estate group Hines has gone straight to An Bord Pleanála for approval as a Strategic Housing Development.

Council planners said the ratio of one bed units was “alarming” and “unbalanced” and unlikely to provide a mixed use, attractive neighbourhood.

The overconcentration “appear to create long, and windowless ‘hotel like’ internal circulation corridors” the submission stated.

The council’s conservation officer had concerns about the effect the development’s height and scale would have on protected structures such as the Red House and Seminary and wanted an 18 storey tower omitted from the plans.

In their report the council planners concluded “the proposed scheme is not sensitive or sympathetic, in scale, design or composition to the protected structures within the subject site or nearby historic structures”.

The planners said if the scheme was given permission there would have to be improvements to open space, communal facilities and access to daylight from the apartments.



Residents in Drumcondra oppose build-to-rent apartments over fears of lower living standard and absent landlords

Local councillor Nial Ring said the council’s concerns reflected those felt by hundreds of local residents who had objected.

“Hopefully An Bord Pleanála will also reflect public opinion on this hideous and contemptible scheme and throw it out” he said.

Architects Rob Curley and Alfonso Bonilla, who are members of the Stop Holy Cross College campaign group told Dublin Live that the scale of build-to-rent in this proposal was “completely inappropriate” for the Drumcondra area.

In a joint submission to An Board Pleanála, they said: “The scheme presented in this application is not of high quality, sustainable residential urban design.

“It is a completely unsuitable solution which dramatically fails to address the scale or historical importance of the development in one of Dublin’s oldest inner suburbs, despite efforts by the applicant to present it as such. It is hard to believe this is a serious proposal.”

Mary Lou McDonald recently said that if planning for over 1,000 “build-to-rent” apartments on the grounds of Clonliffe College in Drumcondra is approved that it could further “exacerbate” the housing crisis.



Drumcondra residents opposing ‘build-to-rent apartments

The Sinn Féin leader and Dublin Central TD is one of 120 parties to make submissions on the contentious €610 million scheme proposed by the Irish arm of US property giant Hines.

The vast majority of those to lodge submissions to the “fast-track” scheme are opposed to the plan that is to be made up of 12 apartment blocks ranging from two storeys to 18 storeys in height.

Hines has already committed to allocating 20% of the apartments for social and affordable housing.

A Hines spokesman told Dublin Live that the new development at the Holy Cross will be “in line with or surpass” all current quality standards.

He said: “This development will set a new benchmark for apartment quality in Dublin and have been designed by a range of award-winning Irish architecture firms.

“In terms of apartment size, all units will either meet or indeed exceed the current national space standards – which in turn are 11% higher than the average EU/UK space requirement for apartments.”

A decision on the proposed development is expected in November.

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