Have Dublin City Planners learnt anything in the last 18 months?

MadsL

There is an interesting litmus test coming up in Dublin, which I think will determine how fast planning and Local Authorities have caught up with economic reality.

Adjacent to the Smithfield LUAS stop is the old Irish Distillers offices, a pleasant two storey converted warehouse. Linders, who own the site, have been faffing about with planning permission for years. They even got planning permission but never managed to build anything. Finally, they have made an application for a seven storey mixed development (office and retail) at this site. For the technically minded it is 5.18:1 plot ratio (zoning for the area is 2.5 - 3.0) and 86% site coverage. Details here 2660/11

Smithfield is like a ghost town with the amount of empty office space never mind the rest of Dublin. Now, the last pre-planning meeting on this was 31 March 2011. So, whilst the planners have not yet decided to grant permisssion - it also seems they don't see too much wrong with this project.

Any thoughts? Has Planning caught up with the new reality economics - or will this be another piece of our debt burden in 24 months?

macannrb

How do planning dept finance themselves? They get big fee from planning applications I think, so maybe they might be happy enough to let it go through, and hope that other like minded individuals stop cribbing and moaning on the sidelines and get back in the business of developing their sites.

It might be cynical, but with the casino in Tipp given the green light by planners, who knows what next

MadsL

How do planning dept finance themselves?

How do LA's finance themselves. Well, in the boom years by raking in development levys from unsustainable development. Now. well *cough* by raking in development levys from unsustainable development.

Delancey

This reminds me of the '' Planning Battle of the Century '' aka Sean Dunne and his efforts to get permission for the tower in Ballsbridge on that vastly over-priced hotel site of his.
Permission was refused but what did it matter in the end ? By then the bubble had burst and nobody was either willing or able to finance it , if this permission for Smithfield goes through what are the chances it will lapse due to inactivity ?

MadsL

I suspect it might just be an attempt to inflate the site value. However, that's not for the planners to second-guess. It will be quite a clear signal if this goes through.

AlekSmart

To address the OP's question.....NO they fc kkeing well have'nt !

Remember these "Planners" represent a City Council unable to maintain Street Lighting along Westmoreland St,instead relying on a private Hotel to allow the light spill from its premises...:mad:

MadsL

Sorry - forgot to post the outcome: planners turned this down..frankly I'm amazed.

1. The proposed development requires the total demolition of the Irish Distillers headquarters building (former stone warehouse). Having regard to the historic interest and industrial character of the existing building and to its significant contribution to the historic context and Conservation Area on Bow Street and Church Street New it is considered that the proposal to demolish the entire of the existing building would be contrary to Development Plan policies FC26 and FC27 and to Paragraph 17.10.5 of the Development Plan.

5. Having regard to the footprint, form scale and massing of the proposed development and to the plot ratio of 5.18:1 it is considered that the of the proposed development would represent significant over-development of the site and would be seriously detrimental to the amenities of the area which would be contrary to qualitative and quantitative standards of the Dublin City Development Plan.