Green light for 450 build-to-rent units at old Chivers site

The proposal was also opposed by a number of members of Dublin City Council, Tommy Broughan TD, the Coolock Residents Association and locals.

The apartments will be in four tower blocks including one that is nine storeys high. The Gillicks had proposed a block that was 100 ft tall – almost double the maximum height of 52.5ft permitted in the area under the Dublin City Development Plan.

However, the appeals board said that permission for the highest tower at nine storeys was warranted following the publication by Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy of new building height guidelines last December.

Planning permission was granted after the board found that the development would make a positive contribution to the urban character of the area, would not seriously injure the residential amenities of property in the vicinity and would be acceptable in terms of traffic and pedestrian safety and convenience.

The board stated that it did not accept the inspector’s view that the arrangement of the proposed blocks could be described as ‘monolithic’.

It also concluded that the proposal would not set an undesirable precedent for similar developments.