Ronan Group appeals over Dublin office plan

PLANS by a company that’s part of the Clancourt group to build a nine-storey office block at Dublin’s Harcourt Road and Adelaide Road have been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by the Johnny Ronan’s Ronan Group.

Mr Ronan’s company has claimed that the planned development – which will expand Clancourt’s existing Park Place office scheme – is “sub-optimal” for the site. Dublin City Council has already given the go-ahead for the project.

A company called Sunny Quarter, which is controlled by the Clancourt group, is planning to build the property that will include office space as well as restaurants or cafés.

Clancourt is owned by the Kenny family.

The site earmarked for the development is largely occupied by a former telephone exchange, which Clancourt acquired from Eir in 2015 for more than €10m. Ronan Group owns the adjoining James’ House.

Planning advisers acting on behalf of Ronan Group have told An Bord Pleanála that the firm is “supportive of the principle of the redevelopment of the application site and the wider area in line with the spirit of its designation as a strategic development and regeneration area under the Dublin city development plan”.

Ronan Group objections include that the development by Sunny Quarter may be “premature pending the agreement of the requirements of [the] MetroLink proposal”.

The council’s own planning inspector said the redevelopment plan “opens up the possibility of completing the pedestrian street and this both improves the public realm and achieves an important strategic pedestrian linkage”.