An Coimisiún Pleanála has refused planning permission to Ventaway to construct a 14 storey office block scheme for a site on the former City Arts Centre at City Quay in Dublin 2.
The refusal overturns a decision by Dublin City Council to grant planning permission to Ventaway Ltd in July of last year.
Ventaway Ltd is headed up by developer, David Kennan and Winthrop engineering group founder, Barry English and the decision is the latest blow to Ventaway’s plans to redevelop the site dating back four years to 2022.
The City Council planning permission was stalled after three parties, An Taisce, St Laurence O’Toole Trust and The Administrator of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and City Quay National School lodged appeals with ACP.
However, St Laurence O’Toole Trust and The Administrator of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and City Quay National School withdrew their appeals in January of this year leaving An Taisce as the sole appellant.
In its decision, Coimisiún Pleanála has refused planning permission after finding that the proposed building, due to its design, scale and massing “is excessive, bulky and overbearing within the context of the subject site”.
The Commission concluded that the proposed design, incorporating a collage of architectural expressions, fails to break down the building into clearly articulated forms to reduce the massing, bulk and overall extent of its scale at this location.
The Commission also stated that the design failed to clearly define the building height in an appropriate manner at this prominent corner site.
The Commission found that the proposed development would be contrary to a number of policies in the City Development Plan concerning building height, high quality architecture and architectural design.
An Coimisiún Pleanála found that no exceptional circumstances arise that would support this particular building at this site.
The Commission also found that the proposed design was not of sufficient architectural quality so as to not detract from the character of the River Liffey Conservation Area.
In the decision signed off by Commissioner Chris McGarry, the Commission found that design, massing and scale, including the uniform building height for most of the building footprint, would result in a negative visual impact on views of the Custom House when viewed from identified ‘key views’ of the city development plan.
The refusal by An Coimisiún Pleanála endorses the views of An Taisce’s Kevin Duff who contended that the proposal “lacks coherent architectural expression” and the profile of the building “is excessively massed and monolithic”.
However, the refusal does not end Ventaway’s plans for the site as it currently has a proposal for a 24-storey tower for the same site before the Commission under consideration.
Ventaway first lodged its 24-storey proposal with Dublin City Council in 2022 and it was refused planning permission in May 2024 by An Bord Pleanála.
However, following a High Court challenge by Ventaway, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys quashed the May 2024 refusal and remitted the application back to An Coimisiún Pleanála for fresh consideration and a decision is due shortly.