Developer Johnny Ronan’s Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) has secured planning permission from Dublin City Council for the construction of the capital’s tallest residential building at its Waterfront South Central scheme.
Rising to 83.6m (274 ft), the landmark 25-storey block is to form the centrepiece of the mixed-use development and is to sit alongside the new nine-storey European headquarter offices that RGRE is building for global banking giant Citi.
The building’s height surpasses the 82m (269ft) of Marlet’s 22-storey College Square office and apartment scheme in Dublin city centre and is taller than Kennedy Wilson’s 22-storey Capital Dock, which rises to 79m (259ft) at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay.
Although RGRE will come to bear the distinction of having built the highest residential tower in the capital, the approved structure will be just over half the height of the 155m (509ft) 45-storey apartment building the developer had originally proposed for the site in a fast-track planning application to An Bord Pleanála in 2021.
RGRE’s planning permission for Waterfront South Central allows for the construction of 550 high-end apartments across three blocks – of eight, 12 and 25 storeys – and amendments to an office block comprising 16,286sq m (175,302sq ft) for which the developer had previously secured approval.
The 25-storey building will, apart from its residential accommodation, include two floors of public space featuring a restaurant and viewing terrace at the top of the building with panoramic views of Dublin Bay, the Liffey and the Wicklow Mountains.
Waterfront South Central will provide residents with 3,043sq m (32,750sq ft) of amenity space throughout the scheme including a residents’ lounge, a gym, chill room and spa, padel courts at roof and basement level, a bookable kitchen and town-hall meeting space. A public pocket park with a sensory garden will also form part of the residential scheme.
RGRE also proposes to enhance the riverfront at Waterfront South Central through the construction of a floating pontoon park, the first of its kind in Dublin.
The Ronan Group plans to deliver the project in conjunction with architect Paul O’Brien of Henry J Lyons and Tom Phillips of Tom Phillips Associates, the same team that has worked on the first phases of the Glass Bottle development. More than 3,500 residential units and 92,903sq m (1 million sq ft) of commercial space are being built on that site in Ringsend, Dublin.
Commenting on the local authority’s decision to grant planning permission for the latest phase of the Waterfront South Central development RGRE chief investment officer Aidan Gavin said: “We are delighted with the decision of Dublin City Council and excited to be delivering another mixed-use development which aligns with our vision of creating inclusive communities.
“Waterfront South Central will be a best-in-class working environment for more than 6,500 people and an opportunity to welcome over 1,300 future residents.”
