Four objections to Gillian Bowler’s €1m homes in D4
Council receives nine letters about plans as locals point to risk of f looding
FOUR of Gillian Bowler’s neighbours have objected to her ambitious plans to make millions by building in her back garden.
The 62-year-old retired chairwoman of Irish Life & Permanent has applied for planning permission to build four houses at her home in the wealthy Dublin suburb of Donnybrook. Property experts say they would be worth €1m each on completion.
But by close of business on Wednesday Dublin City Council had received four objections to and a number of observations about the proposed development at Ms Bowler’s home at 32 Morehampton Lane, Dublin 4.
The Budget Travel boss’s plans involve knocking her two-storey home and building three four-bedroom houses and one three-bedroom house on the half-acre plot.
The four letters of objection were lodged by residents living close to Ms Bowler’s property.
Further to the objections, three letters of observation were lodged including one from PR guru and former Sunday Times editor Rory Godson and his wife Hilary.
In their submission, the Godsons asked for a meeting to discuss the proposed development with the city planners.
Listing their address as 18 Morehampton Road – one street over from Ms Bowler’s – they stated: ‘We wish to make observations that the proposed development at the above site is not in keeping with the surrounding houses in terms of scale, design, massing, density, proximity, height, building depth, building width, plot widths, roof treatment, materials or finishes.
‘We have additional concerns about the additional load which will be put on an already strained drainage system in the immediate and surrounding areas and the associated increase in traffic on a narrow laneway. There is a history of house flooding on the surrounding roads.’
The Godsons also mentioned the environmental impact of ‘garden grabbing’. They also own Coolbawn on Ailesbury Road in Ballsbridge, the former home of Priory Hall developer Tom McFeely.
The house had been seized by Nama after former Provisional IRA man McFeely was declared bankrupt in Ireland.
During their renovations a plumber found €140,000 hidden behind a bath. A further €60,000 was uncovered in the Criminal Assets Bureau investigation that followed.
The Godsons donated a €5,000 reward they received for reporting the find to Priory Hall resident Stephanie Meehan, whose partner had committed suicide over stress related to the ill-fated complex.
The other letters of observation received from Don McQuillan and Caroline Devlin, whose properties are close to Ms Bowler’s, also referred to the local drainage system and past flooding in the area.
Another resident, Jim Duggan, said in his submission that he had concerns about how the proposed development would impact on the local drainage system and he also highlighted that there had already been flooding in the area.
And according to Dave Reynolds, from Sky Property Management which represents the directors of Morehampton House Management, Ms Bowler’s planning application is flawed as ‘it refers to the fact that there is no issue with flooding in the area’.
The objections were lodged by Nap Keeling and his wife; Michael Moore and his wife Wendy Lynch; Hugh and Maire Burns, and Harry and Grainne Nash.
Other issues raised were the possible overshadowing of other properties and the possible visual impact on other properties.
Ms Bowler’s architect did not respond to a request for comment this weekend.
‘A history of flooding on surrounding roads’