An Bord Pleanála has refused award-winning developer Castlethorn Construction planning permission to build a residential development at Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, and has criticised the development's "monotonous design" which lacks "any sense of place".

Castlethorn Construction lost its first-party appeal to the planning board against Meath County Council's decision to refuse planning permission for the 264-unit scheme on a 39.5 acre site on the fringes of Dunshaughlin.

Bounded by the Meadows housing scheme to the west, the site is in two portions, divided by the R125 road.

The developer challenged the county council's view that the absence of details addressing "concerns in relation to the provision of an adequate potable water supply to serve the proposed development" meant that "the proposal is considered prejudicial to public health".

In its appeal, Castlethorn Construction replied that infrastructural constraints relating to roads and sewage for the site "have been overcome" and said the development can supply water for a population equivalent of 3,000.

Castlethorn Construction, which won the "Irish Developer of the Year" in 2005, is known for its developments in Adamstown near Lucan, Belarmine in Stepaside, and Fernleigh in Castleknock. It was looking to build a mix of apartments and three and four-bedroom houses.

An Bord Pleanála also criticised the inclusion of long residential streets, the excessive number of houses and the failure to integrate portions of existing mature hedgerows into open space areas.

The limited range of residential unit size within the scheme was also mentioned, as was the failure to "exploit the development potential of the site for higher density quality residential development".