Dublin City Council's decision to grant planning permission for a high density development with a 15-storey residential tower at the former UCD Veterinary College site in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, "could be regarded as a worrying signal" says Cllr Lucinda Creighton (FG).
Developer Ray Grehan, managing director of Glenkerrin, has got planning permission for a 40,000sq m (430,000sq ft) development called Number One Ballsbridge. It will comprise 109 apartments, up to nine storeys of offices, an arts and cultural centre, and high-end boutiques. Also part of the plan are two new urban streets and two plazas.
Cllr Creighton says the planning permission could be a sign that Dublin City Council planners will look favourably on neighbouring developer Seán Dunne's proposal for a mixed-use development with a 37-storey element on the adjacent Jurys/Berkeley Court site.
She contends that the plot ratio of Number One Ballsbridge "exceeds what is allowable under the development plan and zoning for the site" and will have a huge implication for traffic. "In my view the planners facilitate specific developers in Dublin who get above their necks in terms of borrowing massively for a site." Grehan paid €171.5 million for the 2.2-acre site in 2005.
Ray Grehan, who is "delighted" with Dublin City Council's decision after a two-year wait, believes the planners have come around to the idea "that they are going to have to allow higher density or taller buildings in the city otherwise there will be urban sprawl. They realise that key sites have to be used to the full."
He doesn't agree that city planners are favouring developers who have paid enormous sums for sites, saying he paid a premium for the Veterinary College site "because it's in Ballsbridge and I thought worth it in terms of potential return. The planners adjudicate the site on the basis that it is zoned for development, they are simply doing their job."
He has "no doubt" the planning permission will be appealed to An Bord Pleanála but is "positive enough" the board will look favourably upon the scheme.
Jerry Ryan, managing director of HKR architects which designed the scheme, says Number One Ballsbridge "fully integrates" with the local environment. "It is contextual, addresses the streetscape and provides a range of facilities needed in Ballsbridge including restaurants, cafés, a boutique and even a cultural centre. It's a true mixed-use scheme and to that extent regenerates a brownfield site."
He calls plot ratios "a rude mathematic calculation" and says they are "derived from design and good design stands on its own".
Calling the design of the development "iconic in its impact" he says it will encourage day and nightime activity in the area and create a heart in Ballsbridge, "and it is hoped that other developments in the area will extend that".
