PLANNING:DEVELOPERS BRYAN Cullen and John O'Sullivan have come back with another planning application for a Donnybrook site which is occupied by a Topaz filling station and Everready tyre centre.
The duo were given the thumbs down last May by Dublin City Council for an 11-storey office block and 22 apartments which was deemed “excessive”.
This time around they are looking for a scaled down version of the previous development proposal for the site at the junction of Donnybrook Road and Brookvale Road.
The developers have submitted a planning application for a mixed-use office, retail and residential development in two blocks which would involve demolishing the Topaz filling station and Everready centre.
The site is across the road from Leinster’s Donnybrook rugby grounds and overlooks Donnybrook Tennis Club.
One of the planned blocks would reach five storeys and incorporate some 3,361sq m (36,177sq ft) of office space, a restaurant, bakery foodhall, café at ground and first floor level, and a roof terrace for the restaurant.
Another block is to rise to seven storeys with 976sq m (10,505sq ft) of office space, a restaurant at ground and part-basement level, a shop and 10 two-bed apartments.
The site was assembled by John O’Sullivan, Bryan Cullen and Myles O’Malley of O’Malley Construction.
Cullen bought the filling station from Topaz for €15 million and various other parts of the site were assembled over the years, with most of O’Sullivan’s land owned since 1988, including the Everready centre.
Meanwhile An Taisce has appealed the proposed redevelopment of Harcourt Terrace Garda station to An Bord Pleanála.
A subsidiary of the Durkan Group is looking to demolish the 1950s Garda station, old film censor’s office and other buildings on site, and build a four-storey residential block facing onto Harcourt Terrace.
A seven-storey office block with setback levels fronting onto Charlemont Place is also included in the development.
The proposal is smaller in scale than one refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála early last year.
The developer is seeking permission to build 24 apartments in a four-storey block compared to a more ambitious 43 apartments in two blocks rising to nine storeys last time around.
The office element proposed is 10,413sq m (112,084sq ft) compared to 12,714sq m (136,854sq ft) last time.
However, An Taisce says the developer has not adequately addressed the previous refusal by An Bord Pleanála “in respect of the scale and design of the residential building proposed to replace the Garda station and the Film Censor’s office on Harcourt Terrace”.
It suggests that the planned building is modified by omitting projecting balconies onto Harcourt Terrace, the use of muted brick or sandstone cladding instead of Portland stone and the omission of one floor to make it a three-storey building.
