On your bike, council tells Greystar

PLANS for a contentious Build to Rent development in Monkstown have been refused permission by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

A subsidiary of US Real Estate giant Greystar proposed to build 10 blocks of apartments up to 9 storeys high on the grounds of historical Dalguise House.

70 objections were lodged against it and over 1200 people signed a petition calling for it to be rejected.

The council refused permission citing contraventions of the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan as being behind their decision.

They said that the scheme would result in “a proliferation of BTR accommodation and one bed units” and “would not provide for a sustainable mix of tenure and housing types”.

A CGI of what the proposed development would have looked like.

Additionally, they said it “would not provide for a sustainable housing mix of units which is consistent with the Housing Needs Demand Assessment in the DLR Development Plan and contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The decision to refuse cited the location of the site, within the curtilage of a protected structure, Dalguise House and the ‘Building Height Strategy within the DLR County Development Plan.

It said that the proposed development by reason of its overall height fails to have due regard to its surrounding context and would have a detrimental and overbearing impact on the setting of the Protected Structure and the surrounding area.

The council also said the proposal failed to meet the requirements DLRCC’s Standards for Cycle Parking and associated Cycling Facilities for New Development.

It said that this, in tandem with reduced carparking, would result in car parking overspill on surrounding residential roads and seriously injure the amenities of properties in the vicinity.

In a report commissioned by the applicant, Hooke and MacDonald estimated that rents from the schemes two bedroom (4 person units) would be €3,000 per month or €36,000 per annum. A one bedroom apartment would cost €2,500 per month or €30’000 per annum.”

Previously the Council had baulked at paying such rents for units allocated for Social Housing under Part V obligations.

They said that “the market rents quoted while indicative, are considered excessive” and “would not be the best use of resources available’.

Supporters of the No High-rise Monkstown Campaign pictured outside County Hall in Dun Laoghaire last February after delivering a petition to CEO Frank Curran.  Picture credit: No High-Rise Monkstown Campaign.

A petition against the development organised by the No Highrise Monkstown Campaign was signed by over 1,200 people.

Local activist Nicola Coleman, who led the campaign, welcomed the Council’s decision saying that it “affirmed local democracy and the democratically agreed County Development Plan.”

She said the decision also echoed many community concerns “including environmental concerns and the serious problems that ordinary people recognise are inherent in a corporatised BTR model of housing.”

Ms Coleman said when people see prices like the €35’000 per annum quoted for a two bed apartment “it shatters any expectation we might have that the development represents a solution to the housing needs of the community.

Ms Coleman said: “A two-bed flat at almost €35,000 per year is on a par with the take-home pay of a primary school teacher or nurse.”

UCD Student Union Council supported the No Highrise Monkstown Campaign and last April had passed a motion highlighting concerns with Greystar’s development and mandating the Student Union President to sign the petition.

Local TD Richard Boyd Barret who also opposed the plan said that “the housing crisis continues to deepen despite the increased number of developments” and that “while we are very aware of the desperate need for housing, it needs to be built sustainably and be affordable to the general population.

Coleman said that there is “nothing stopping” Greystar providing public access to the grounds now and that many people in the community and surrounding environs are keen to see the protected structure and the gardens.

She said that the campaign wrote to Greystar CEO Bob Faith last March asking him to consider gifting the grounds to the community and that the council’s decision presents an opportunity for that proposal to be seriously considered.

A spokesperson for Greystar Ireland told Southside People: “Naturally we are very disappointed with the decision by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council to refuse planning permission for this high-quality apartment complex at Dalguise House.

“The scheme would have included public access to these private and historic landscaped grounds.

“We will now take some time to study the Council’s decision and review our options.

“Several months ago, Greystar Ireland made Dalguise House available to the Red Cross to provide much needed accommodation for refugees.

“A group of refugees is currently residing there and are unaffected by this decision.”