Traffic, height issues objections to plans

Traffic and building shoulder height issues have been raised in a submission by management of Cork’s Elysian development in relation to revised office block plans for a neighbouring city centre site.

At the end of last month, Progressive Commercial Construction Ltd — a John Cleary firm — and BAM Property submitted revised plans for its One Albert Quay project, on land currently occupied by disused warehouses. It sought to build an eight-storey scheme of offices with some ground floor retail use, instead of the nine-storey development for which it was given permission previously by Cork City Council.

When that approval was appealed by third parties, and subsequently became the subject of court proceedings by Elysian Management Ltd (ELM), the applicant companies had withdrawn the original application.

In its submission on the revised plans, ELM acknowledges that issues around encroachment onto part of a lane within the Elysian scheme have been dealt with in accordance with mediation between the parties. But it expresses concerns that the new application — or unsolicited further information submitted by the applicants earlier this month — does not meet the terms of agreement reached on building shoulder heights, or around arrangements for right-turning traffic from Albert Street — which runs alongside the development — onto the quay beyond it.

The revised plans are also the subject of a submission from Crimson Investments Ltd, the Owen O’Callaghan firm with permission for a major events centre further east along Albert Quay.

* An Bord Pleanála has approved a planning scheme for the Dublin docklands after holding a hearing into the proposal earlier this year.

In February and March, submissions were heard over a week from An Taisce, Nama, the Central Bank, local residents’ groups, development companies and other parties into the plans of Dublin City Council. The local authority had proposed the adoption of a planning scheme for the North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock strategic development zone last November.

The appeals board has now approved the scheme, subject to more than 40 modifications, based on consideration of its planning inspector’s report.

* Cork City Council has given the go-ahead for plans to extend an internet data centre in the northside suburb of Hollyhill.

Chip Electronics Services Ltd applied at the start of April to extend the centre at Harbour View Road, where it plans to increase the volume of data it can facilitate for its internet service provider (ISP) customers.

The project is expected to add about half to the existing gross floor area of around 1,110 square metres at the company’s Cork Internet Exchange (CiX) centre, where job expansions are also planned.

* Dublin City Council has received an application for a new retail and apartment development on a site occupied by an office scheme.

The plans lodged by Fincon Developments Ltd, which is in receivership, relate to the three-storey office and retail building known as Chatham House in Dublin 2. It is proposed to demolish this structure, and to build a new six-storey retail and apartment building.

The details include the provision of retail space on the Chatham Street ground floor, and further retail space on the first floor. It is proposed to provide 14 apartments on the second to fifth floors, including top floor penthouses, with rooftop communal outdoor space planned for the roof.

* An expanded maturation warehouse facility is proposed in an application by Irish Distillers for woodland north of Midleton.

In an application to Cork County Council, the company seeks a 10-year planning permission for the works at Ballynona North in Dungourney.

The plans include 24 maturation warehouses, to be built in 10 blocks of two warehouses and one block of four warehouses. The associated site development works include tree felling and other work to accommodate future warehouse facilities, with access to the expanded facility proposed via an existing entrance and access from a local road.

* Further improvements at the Blarney Castle grounds have been approved by Cork County Council.

Sir Charles Colthurst had sought permission in November to extend existing toilet block and parking facilities for visitors. The planned works include a dedicated coach parking area, taxi/driver facility building, additional visitor parking spaces and related facilities.

In February, the local authority granted a separate application for an extension to the tourist shop on the castle estate in the village about five miles from Cork City.