After purchasing Kiely's pub in Dublin's Mount Merrion, investors Paddy McKillen Jnr and partner Matt Ryan have been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for a four- to five-storey development comprising of 46 apartments, a gym, cafe, pub, restaurant and shopping centre on the site.
The premises had previously been refused planning permission by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in July after there was nearly 340 objections regarding the work, reports The Irish Times.
The council ruled "that the proposed development, by reason of its scale, siting, layout, bulk and height, would not comprise an appropriate design response and would relate poorly to its receiving environment, seriously detracting from the area in terms of visual amenity."
An Bord Pleanála ultimately upheld the council's decision, echoing similar concerns, saying that the proposed development "would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area". Local Fine Gael councillor Barry Saul added: "This decision sends a strong message about what type of developments the council and An Bord Pleanála will accept in what is a local community and not a shopping destination."
A spokesperson for McKillen and Ryan commented that "they will go back to the drawing board in 2017, and put in a new application based on the findings [of An Bord Pleanála]".
