Dalkey Community Council and An Taisce have challenged planning permission for a residential development at the Old Tramyard in Dalkey, Co Dublin.

They have both submitted appeals to An Bord Pleanála against the proposed development by James Monaghan and Rodney Sheils which would incorporate 23 apartments and a commercial/retail space in three blocks around an open courtyard.

A previous planning application for 28 apartments and four commercial units was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.

Dalkey Community Council says that the current application constitutes overdevelopment of the site and the design is inappropriate and excessive in scale in a conservation area. It says the architecture in the area is predominantly two-storey Victorian and the proposed three-storey design would result in "dwarfing the surrounding two-storey buildings" and is "higher than the apex of the Queens pub".

It contends that the development would cause considerable overshadowing to the rear of 16 and 17 Castle Street and would overlook properties on St Patrick's Road.

"The impact of this large scale development on the centre of Dalkey will be enormous and irreversibly change the character of this heritage town," says the appeal.

An Taisce says the 19th century tramyard buildings are composed of fine quality walls which would be negatively impacted by the proposal. It objects to the removal and reinstatement of protected structures on the site, including the gates, piers, cobbling and tram lines which would involve interfering with items of heritage and the destruction of their patina of age "which is against the architectural Heritage Protection Policy document from the Department of the Environment".

An Taisce says there has been on average one application per year since 2000 "for ostensibly the same proposal which has been granted by the planning authority and refused by the board to date".