Objections from Kenny and neighbours cost Bartra €300k

VETERAN broadcaster Pat Kenny garnered quite a bit of attention last week when he teamed up with his neighbours to keep a new housing development at bay.

Kenny and his wife, Kathy, are among 18 objectors to the construction of 26 new homes on a site called Yonder on Ulverton Road in Dalkey. The residents claim the proposed construction of three four-storey apartment blocks and a further seven houses will adversely affect the traffic scenario in Dalkey as well as the area’s illustrious residential amenity.

Behind the development is Richard Barrett’s Bartra Capital, a company that has had its fair share of planning disputes, perhaps most notably the ongoing battle with residents at Bulloch Harbour. Ergo understands that objections to the site, which sold for €3.17m last year, will cost Bartra €300,000, which equates to around €11,500 per unit.

“While this might not be an issue for future buyers of units in the Dalkey area, these additional time-related costs have a significant effect when it comes to providing units at a more affordable price point,” Barrett’s development company said.

The company is calling on Eoghan Murphy to use his ministerial abilities to improve the planning system in Ireland.

Bartra also said the fast-track scheme Murphy has championed so much has had an unintended consequence — it is slowing the approval of many more smaller sites. The developer described the delays as “unacceptable”.

Banking must reflect the diversity of modern Ireland, Bank of Ireland Group chief executive Francesca McDonagh has said in a speech on cultural transformation in the banking sector. Pictured with the Fearless Girl sculpture by Kristen Visbal — commissioned and brought to Dublin by State Street Global Advisors — are McDonagh and Carol Andrews, chair of the 30% Club Ireland and managing director at BNY Mellon Ireland. They were at the 30% Club’s November council meeting.