An Inchicore resident who says he is "dismayed" by the number of "inappropriate" high density apartment developments in Dublin has appealed planning permission for a major hotel, retail, residential and commercial scheme at Parkwest, Nangor Road, Dublin 10.
In his appeal to An Bord Pleanála, John McGrath, with an address at Railway Avenue in Inchicore, Dublin 8, says the site is zoned Z6 "to provide for the creation and protection of enterprise and facilitate opportunities for employment creation". He says the development plan indicates that Z6 lands are an important landbank for employment use but the primary land use now proposed is residential.
Airscape Ltd, controlled by Harcourt Developments, was granted a 10-year planning permission by South Dublin County Council for the 7.9-hectare site. Harcourt Developments is owned by Pat Doherty and its directors include broadcaster Mike Murphy, Robert Langdon, Patrick John Power, John Doherty and Conal Harvey.
The commercial, residential, retail and cultural development for Parkwest would have 176,335sq m (1.898 million sq ft).
This would comprise 58,015sq m (624,468sq ft) of office space, 13,080sq m (140,792sq ft) of retail/mixed-use, 3,515sq m (37,835sq ft) of cultural/civic library use, a hotel and 958 apartments. The site is bounded by the Kildare-Heuston rail line to the north and Parkwest Road to the south.
McGrath says the bulk and massing of the development and the predominantly seven to eight-storey building height is excessive and inappropriate for this outer suburban location, where the prevailing height of development is low-rise. He said the proposed 14-storey tower is unwarranted and the "poor quality design" would be an eyesore visible from the whole district.
