Fire safety concerns over 16-storey building plan in Dublin

Residents in north Dublin have raised fire safety concerns regarding the height of a 16-storey building that Gerry Gannon wants to build at Clongriffin.

Last month, Dublin City Council gave the developer the green light to construct the €45m project at Station Square in Clongriffin.

However, the Grange Abbey Residents Association is one of two parties to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

“We believe that any new building should be in keeping with the height of the existing development and not towering over it,” said the association.

“For safety concerns, if the building had to be evacuated, for example, a fire — the higher the building, the more difficult it would be for residents to exit it.”

The management company for the nearby Myrtle complex, which has 361 homes, has also appealed the decision.

Gannon Properties wants to build 139 apartments, including 14 three-bed, 97 two-bed, and 28-one bed apartments.

The proposal also includes five retail units.

As part of the planning process, Gannon Properties is to pay the city council €1.12m.

Gannon Properties told the council that the tower will be a landmark building which would add to Dublin’s urban landscape.

The Gannon firm said the development is of high quality and one which offers excellent communal facilities and open spaces.

In its appeal, the Myrtle management company said the development, due to its scale and design, “would negatively and significantly undermine the objectives and policies of the council”.

A decision is due in November.