New proposed Student Accommodation raises old concerns
Donnybrook, once a thriving village, has in recent years succumbed to the invasion of the dreaded high-rise. With the new monstrosity at the bottom of Eglinton Road, and a six-storey, 85-unit co-living complex where Kiely’s once stood already a fait accompli (adding to that the disappearance of post office, banks, and other essential amenities), many residents now consider what was once their beloved village has been reduced to a drive-through on the Stillorgan dual carriageway. Now with another proposed high-rise student accommodation on the junction of Donnybrook Road and Brookvale, the current site of the Circle K petrol filling station, it seems the Donnybrook dilemma continues.
The Story So Far…
In 2002 a four-storey apartment block was proposed for this site but rejected by An Bord Pleanála on the grounds of size and height, which was deemed to be out of character with the location. In 2008 a separate plan to develop what would have been an 11-storey mixed use development was refused by Dublin City Council. In 2010 a proposed mixed-use development of up to seven storeys in height was rejected by An Bord Pleanála, again on similar grounds. The site was again up for sale in 2018 with permissible uses including residential, office, hotel, hostel, restaurant and retail. By this time changes to planning regulations by then Minister Eoghan Murphy permitted developers to bypass local planning authorities and make applications directly to An Bord Pleanála for large-scale schemes of 100 housing units or more. This resulted in the planning body receiving multiple applications for (build-to-rent) high-rise, ultra high-density blocks.
The site at Donnybrook is presently in the possession of Red Rock Developments Ltd. They acquired this 0.131-hectare plot, sometime in 2020 and have since endeavoured to build on it. This company specialises in multi-disciplined property developments. It has completed a number of outstanding projects, including the 77 apartments and penthouse at Elmpark Green, a luxury development in Dublin 4, and the salubrious Paddock at Bushy Park Road, Dublin 6.
New Proposals ‘Build-to-Rent apartment’ 2021-2022
In February of 2021 plans were lodged for a 12-storey, 84-apartment complex on the site (build-to-rent) residential use at 1st to 11th floor levels. However, this was met with resistance, with opposition to planning resulting in some 30 individual objections being lodged. In 2022 a Bord Pleanála Inspector’s Report ABP-310204-21 noted that the proposed building design was acceptable. However given the scale of the project they had concerns over visual dominance. The report also notes that no public open space was proposed. It recommended refusal of the scheme, quoting three reasons: excessive height, scale and mass, traffic impacts. Yet, after an appeal to An Bord Pleanála this time a 10-storey (reduction of two floors) mixed-use development, that included 68 build-to-rent apartments, planning permission was granted.
Local resident, Cllr Dermot Lacey noted that the height of the 2021 proposal was significantly higher than the council’s own guidelines of 16 metres (typically four storeys) and wholly unsuitable for a village. Nor was the reduction of two floors by the City Council planners deemed to be an adequate solution. Spokesperson for the Eglinton Residents Association Robin Mandal informed An Bord Pleanála that while it reduces the impact marginally it does not substantially address the negative visual impact.
The scaled down proposal was condemned on various grounds. Including its impact on the historical integrity of Donnybrook. In fact, the development received two third-party appeals with High Court proceedings being launched in January 2023. David and Valerie Clarke of Dublin 6 called the planned development monolithic. The Eglinton Residents Association submitted an objection and Mr Mandal maintained that the scheme appeared out of character with the pattern of development in Donnybrook.
A revised plan, this time, a 225-bed student accommodation, which includes a cafe, bike storage and other amenities received the go-ahead in May of 2024. The council, in consideration of previous objections, ordered the omission of two floors, reducing the height of the building to eight floors. However, it did little to curb the frustrations of local objectors. The Donnybrook Lawn Tennis Club, who had previously expressed their concerns, argued that gross over-development of the site would dominate the Donnybrook skyline as the project overlooked the club. In what the Irish Times described as a strongly worded objection against the Donnybrook site, they informed Dublin City Council that the Red Rock scheme would constitute an “enormous” impact on the club. It not only encroaches on the privacy of its 800-member private club, but it also breaches their child protection policy.
The area is perhaps more suited to mid-rise development.
2024 Plan and the Transient Argument
Many residents expressed concerns about the way Donnybrook was developing, particularly with plans for around 100 co-living units on the site of the former Kiely’s pub and another 12-storey apartment block a short distance away on Eglinton Road, which would bring an additional 400 transient homes to the village. Similarly, the Herbert Park Area Residents Association opposed the scheme on the grounds that it would not advance sustainable long-term residency in Donnybrook. Speaking to The Journal in 2021 Fianna Fáil’s Deirdre Conroy noted that the development would provide a block of “non-affordable, non-purchasable homes” which was more suited to a dockland site than an historic village. This takes account of build-to-rent or shared/co-living accommodation, as types of developments not designed for long-term living, and sometimes not suitable for families.
The latest proposed student accommodation can be viewed as an extension of the transient argument. The term studentification can be applied here. The term commonly refers to the impact brought about by a preponderance of universities, creating a high demand for accommodation in the vicinity. It includes a perception that students are transient people by nature and will not become a part of the community. There appears to be some consideration of this element of the development in April of 2024, with the Student Accommodation Demand, Concentration and Justification Report prepared by John Spain Associates, a leading Planning and Development Consultancy, on behalf of Red Rock, advocating that there is unlikely to be any significant increase in the number of students living in the area. Rather there will be a redistribution from more informal student living arrangements in rented accommodation (i.e. flats/studios) to the managed student accommodation development. The total student population would represent 0.7% of the total population which is not considered to be an overconcentration of student population. However, the price of accommodation might determine who actually has access to it. According to one estimation dated 2022, the cost to a student is above €950 per month to live in a cluster room in an apartment in one of these privately owned accommodations.
High-Rise vs. Mid-Rise
More broadly the chronic shortage of accommodation for both students and the wider population has resulted in high-rise as a way of combating the crisis in housing and urban sprawl. However, high-rise has not proved particularly popular in Ireland where lower density is preferred. Even in Britain where multi-storey living is more common, high-rise student accommodation ‘rising over cities’ has become contentious. A multi-storey student accommodation development in Manchester, for example, was met with fierce opposition with locals adopting the slogan “Stop The Monster” in their campaign.
While there is a huge supply/demand imbalance, the answer to the student accommodation problem may not be solely a question of high-rise. This may be adequate in some urban areas in which high-rise already exists. And this form of accommodation is not without its merits of course. Yet the proposed student accommodation at Donnybrook has added another layer to the debate. For communities like Donnybrook it does a great disservice to both students and established residents alike by dividing them on demographic lines. It has been shown that students often feel more a part of the community while living in mid or low-rise accommodation. What is often key to this is the sense of disconnect; high-rise accommodation is separate and isolating. The area is more suited to mid-rise development.
Whatever the case, it is clear that the current model of fast tracking high-rise accommodation brings with it many problems, most notably, when the choice of site is unsuitable. Donnybrook is a good example of obtrusive buildings in low-density villages. This kind of development creates delays, objections and extra complications that new apartment occupiers, students and locals can do without. What is needed is a common sense approach to planning.
A decision on the Donnybrook site is expected in October.
