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The ‘Battle of Ballsbridge’ is about to become a war
Sunday, September 07, 2008
As Sean Dunne’s ambitious plans come before a public hearing, Nicola Cooke looks at both sides of the Ballsbridge high-rise row.

The so-called ‘Battle of Ballsbridge’ moves northside this week, as the controversial proposed redevelopment of the Jurys Doyle site by developer Sean Dunne is debated at an oral hearing. Supporters and opponents of the plans will outline their submissions to the An Bord Pleanála hearing at Croke Park over a two to three-week period.

The much-publicised proposed Ballsbridge development drew a record number of submissions to Dublin City Council (DCC) and An Bord Pleanála, and it is expected to be one of the longest public hearings by the board. The time set aside for it is about the same as that given to the hearing into Terminal 2 at Dublin airport and half the time taken for the one into the toxic waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy in Cork.

Any of the 127 people and groups who made submissions to An Bord Pleanála - of which 87 were in favour of the development - can have their say at the hearing. Almost 100 people have already paid to be observers for the duration of the process, which will be chaired by inspector Tom Rabbitte.

The Sunday Business Post understands that Sean Dunne’s Mountbrook Homes Group has requested four full days to submit information to the hearing, and that it is likely to be the first group called.

The plans to be debated include construction of a 37-storey diamond-shaped tower, which would be the ‘landmark’ feature of the development, on the seven-acre site at Jurys Hotel and the Berkeley Court Hotel. Also included is an office and embassy complex, 536 apartments, an underground mall, a creche and a cultural quarter.

Dunne bought the land in 2005 for €379 million and the annual mortgage repayment on borrowings for the site is €11 million. But since the purchase, he has had an uphill struggle to bring his plans to fruition.

The divergence of opinion about the project is huge. Local residents’ associations and financier Dermot Desmond are firmly against it, while other developers, local businesses and some well-known personalities have voiced support and admiration for the project. Prominent business people such as Desmond - who has been embroiled in a war of words with Dunne over the plans - could appear before the hearing.

The financier and Ailesbury Road resident submitted a lengthy objection to One Berkeley Court, the development’s address, in which he described it as ‘‘fundamentally flawed’’ and ‘‘clearly unacceptable’’.

Dunne is not only fighting Desmond in his bid to transform Ballsbridge into the equivalent of London’s Sloane Square - which would bring a footfall of 20,000 people to the area daily and provide accommodation and employment for several thousand. He is also battling with local government guidelines for the area.

Last year, all bar one of Dublin city’s councillors rejected a draft plan that would have catered for landmark buildings of between ten and 20 storeys in the area. The Carlow man’s plans for the Jury’s site are also a contravention of the Dublin City Development Plan (DCDP).

The council is also considering - but has postponed indefinitely - a high-rise blueprint for parts of Dublin city such as the Docklands, around Heuston Station and Grangegorman. Ballsbridge, where the developer also bought the AIB headquarters site for €200 million in 2005, does not feature in this document.

Despite this, there is much support for the project. Within the many submissions to An Bord Pleanála, there is one set of people who want Ballsbridge to remain as a Victorian landscape, and another set who believe it is in need of vibrant modernisation.

Others say the development of social and affordable housing is important ‘‘so our family and friends can live near us’’. More are in favour of it because of the ‘‘need for proper shopping, leisure and cultural facilities’’ in the area.

In its submission, Matt Dunne estate agents said ‘‘the area dies a death after 8pm and only comes alive for international rugby and soccer games’’, while developer Michael Maughan points out that ‘‘most major cities have high-rise features’’.

Those who want to preserve the character of the neighbourhood include 19 residents’ associations, which have submitted a detailed study by planning consultant MacCabe Durney.

That study deemed the development unsuitable for a number of reasons, including contravention of the planning laws, pollution, traffic and noise levels.

A spokesman for these associations, who will be represented jointly at the oral hearing by barrister Colm Mac Eochaidh, said the case was clear-cut because the Dunne development ‘‘is a breach of the planning laws and the zoned residential status of Ballsbridge’’.

‘‘It has been death by one thousands cuts for Ballsbridge with the various office blocks there now that should not have got planning. The city council planners want a lot of development in the area - as evidenced by the inclusion of Ballsbridge in the PUC [prime urban centre] area, which was rejected by councillors,” said the spokesman.

‘‘That’s why this planning application was not put through as a material contravention [where two thirds of councillors must support it] because they knew it would be shot down.

‘‘An Bord Pleanála can disregard the planning laws and grant permission if the council have rejected a development, but this is not the case here,” the spokesman said.

The hearing will be followed with interest by many developers, town planners and architects, as it is seen as a test case. Other developers, such as Ray Grehan and Bernard MacNamara, also own valuable land in Ballsbridge.

Grehan is awaiting an An Bord Pleanála decision on a 15-storey office and apartment block on the former grounds of UCD veterinary school, which he paid €83 million an acre for two years ago.

Hugh Wallace, chief executive of Douglas Wallace architects - which has offices in Dublin, Belfast, London and Poland - said the Mountbrook Homes Group Ballsbridge scheme, and the principle of high density, was very important for Dublin.

‘‘This is about quality of life and the creative use of urban space,” he said.

‘‘For some reason, people in Ireland have a mind block about high rise; 37 storeys is not high rise by any stretch, 50 storeys is high rise and these are the size of buildings you see in London, Dubai or Sheffield.

‘‘What this development is to do with is sustainability and transport. There is a lack of appreciation in relation to height. People who live in Ashbourne and commute to Dublin are not likely to get a rail line because the density of people is not there.

‘‘The opposite of this is to look into our cities, and build proper-sized apartments that families can live in - like this development has done. For too long, small second-rate apartments have been built here. There is no issue with the tower standing out, as it is part of a monoblock series of high buildings.

‘‘Also, you don’t lose space with height, you can actually create it, with more open spaces and parks. Ireland needs to get its head around these important concepts,” Wallace said.

Talk of the town
Quotes from some of the 127 submissions to An Bord Pleanála on the proposed development at One Berkley Court:

‘‘Grouping embassies together in one tall building would, in fact, be a sitting duck for a potential terrorist attack.”
Dermot Desmond

‘‘As a Cork motor dealer and property investor, living as I am in a relatively uncongested city, I cannot believe that the urban sprawl in Dublin which has mushroomed over so many years is now, in effect, being furthered by Dublin city planning authorities and their failure to encourage and support high-rise buildings.”
Billy Keary, Keary’s Toyota, Cork

‘‘Today, the whole of Ballsbridge is jaded and antiquated . . . and this project would immediately address these shortcomings. It is now time to stop pussy-footing with high density development and give these projects the green light.”
Eamonn F Cox, Colgan & Cox auctioneers

‘‘These plans seek to introduce a Dubai-style Arabian Nights theme in the midst of the most wonderful Victorian landscape . . . they are totally insane.”
Peter White, Wellington Road resident

‘‘In recent years, this club has experienced an exodus of young people to the outskirts of Dublin and beyond, and this seriously threatens our future. We welcome the development, which would keep the population here and would see new dwellers setting up here.”
Clan na Gael Fontenoy GAA club, Sean Moore Road

‘‘Giving permission to build an 18storey building and denying permission for an iconic tower is at best inconsistent, but in reality short-sighted. We find ourselves once again in a situation where we are planning against the future, rather than for it.”
Michael Colgan, director of the Gate Theatre

‘‘The proposed development will, I believe, have a tremendously positive impact on quality of life for those who live and work in the area – and it beats urban sprawl.”
Bill O’Herlihy, PR consultant and RTE presenter

Timeline
July 2005: Sean Dunne makes a bid of €260 million for the 4.85 acre site that includes the Jurys Ballsbridge hotel, the Berkeley Court Apartments and The Towers. At the time, it is the most expensive price ever paid per acre of land in Ireland. The sale is completed in October, but Jurys Doyle continues to run the two hotels until late 2007.

November 2005: Dunne bids €119m for the Berkeley Court hotel. The deal is completed in January 2006.

June 2007: City councillors vote against a Local Area Plan (LAP) for Ballsbridge, which called for ‘landmark’ buildings between ten and 20 storeys to be allowed.

August 2007: Dunne’s Mountbrook Group lodges its ambitious plans for the site with Dublin City Council.

September/October 2007: DCC receives a record 774 submissions to the redevelopment plans. Two-thirds of these are in favour of the proposals.

March 2008: Mountbrook Homes is granted partial planning permission for a large part of the proposed redevelopment. However, permission for the controversial central 37storey tower is not granted, after a split decision.

March-April 2008: An Bord Pleanála receives a record 127 appeals – 87 of them are in favour. The board decides to have an oral hearing.

July 2008: a preliminary oral hearing outlining the agenda is chaired by Tom Rabbitte.

September 9: the full oral hearing is scheduled to begin.

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