New development at Dalguise represents a great opportunity for Monkstown

By Ward Frisby, Development Director of Greystar Ireland.

Greystar Ireland is very excited about its plans for a new, high quality, purposely designed apartment complex in Monkstown and believes it represents a great opportunity for the local area and to preserve historic Dalguise House.

Many people may not be aware of Dalguise as it is somewhat hidden away.

Historically a family home, it is a protected structure, the earliest reference to it occurring in the First Edition Ordnance map of 1837.

Greystar Ireland is very mindful of its historical and architectural importance and a key part of the planning application is the careful restoration of the existing buildings comprising Dalguise House, Entrance Lodge, Brick Lodge, and a Coach House, many of which are currently in a derelict state.

Late last year a planning application was lodged for a large-scale residential development at Dalguise, following the purchase of the private property in 2021.

The proposed development is for 491 residential units, including 3 traditional houses, across 11 separate low to medium rise apartment blocks on the almost 9-acre site.

It will also include a childcare facility and a public café / restaurant located in the lower floor of Dalguise House.

The company is also very mindful of the importance of retaining green space and indeed of opening up that space and making it accessible to the community.

In our plans most of the trees and planting around the house will be retained and enhanced.

At the moment there are 346 trees on the site; following completion of the proposed development there will be 464 trees, just over a third more.

A substantial portion of the trees being removed are considered of poor quality and estimated to have a short remaining lifespan.

Some non-native and invasive species will be removed as per the tree consultancy advice received.

Of the 213 new trees being planted, many are very substantial in size, and all will be selected based on appropriateness to their new environment.

In addition, the proposed new apartment blocks will be arranged around a new public open space and existing features such as the mature trees and the walled garden, which will also be restored.

Whereas previously these gardens were the sole preserve of the owners, they will now act as a focal point of the new development while also being open to members of the public to visit and enjoy.

Greystar is of course mindful of its environmental responsibilities and has carried out a full environmental impact report.

We are aware some concerns have been expressed about the visual impact of the development, but we believe the existing trees and the new ones we will plant will ensure the new development retains a distinct community feel within the wider Monkstown community.

We have completed a full visual impact assessment of the proposal, and the scheme is not visible from the vast majority of locations throughout Monkstown, due to its set back location and proposed height.

In total the masterplan for the site provides for 6,350sqm of open space that is accessible and usable by all.

The proposed development will be designed and built to the highest standards with residents enjoying the use of several internal communal areas such as a gym, yoga room, meeting rooms, co-working spaces, library, music room, lounges as well as an outdoor pavilion.

It will comprise 288 one-bedroom units, 185 two-bedroom units, 16 three-bedroom units and two studio apartments.

Unfortunately, Ireland finds itself in the midst of a severe housing crisis and we would argue needs to build up its supply of all accommodation types, including high quality rental, as a matter of urgency.

While most of these apartments are aimed at the rental market, in line with the Part V obligations which apply to all developers of new residential properties, 20% or close to 100 of these apartments will be designated social and affordable and be available to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to rent.

Just to note over 10% of these apartments will conform to build to sell size standards while an additional 5% will be designed for independent senior accommodation; these also conform to build to sell standard.

This may be of particular interest to anyone in the area who might be considering downsizing from a large family home.

Seven of these units have been identified for use as short stay accommodation, which we believe will be of great value to the wider community.

Our plans for Dalguise are in line with the Government’s national planning framework recommendations for higher density building development in urban areas particularly in locations well serviced by public transport.

Greystar Ireland always strives to be a good neighbour and to play an active and supportive role in the communities we join.

We have consulted with our neighbours from the early stages and taken their feedback on board in the design and layout of the proposed development.

As anticipated with any new developments Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council has raised a number of queries about our proposal through the planning application process and we are now examining those and looking to see how we can best address them.

In addition to the advantages outlined above we believe this €220m development will also lead to long term economic benefits for Monkstown as well as job creation and commercial opportunities for local people and businesses.

Change always brings challenges but we believe these plans pave the way for a new and vibrant chapter in Monkstown’s ongoing development.

If you would like more information about Dalguise please go to https://www.dalguiselrd.ie/