3971/22

Planning permission for the development of a 0.67 hectare site at the former Highfield Plant Nursery located off Oakland's Crescent Road, Highfield Grove and St. Luke's Hospital Service Road, all accessed off Highfield Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6. The development site is principally bounded by the rear gardens of St. Kevin's Park to the south, Highfield Grove and Four Oaks to the North, Sunbury Park to the east and Saint Luke's Hospital to the west. The proposed development will consist of the demolition of the existing derelict glass greenhouses and relate structures (c.4,503sqm), the construction of a four-storey building providing a 120 no. bed space nursing home (c. 7,630sqm) and all associated ancillary development including roof plant and equipment, hard and soft landscaping, 2 no. courtyards, boundary treatments internal roads and pathways, the provision of internal surface water and foul drainage pipes, attenuation tanks, SuDs features, service provision and related pipework, ESB substation, ESB switch room, generator room and 2 no. waste storerooms, car parking, bicycle parking, public lighting, signage and all associated site development and excavation works above and below ground level. Vehicular access to the proposed nursing home will be via the existing vehicular access off Oakland's Crescent and Saint Luke's Hospital service road to the west. An additional pedestrian/bicycle access is proposed via Highfield Grove to the north.

Granted

Core Planning Reasoning

The proposed development would have an unacceptable overbearing impact on the residential properties and rear gardens of Sunbury Park due to its height, continuous facade, and the difference in site levels, thereby seriously injuring residential amenity.

Decision Maker's Conclusion

  • The principle of a nursing home development is acceptable under the Z1 zoning objective and addresses a documented need for elderly care facilities in the Dublin area.
  • While concerns regarding traffic generation, access legalities, and parking overspill were largely dismissed as manageable or technically acceptable, the physical massing of the eastern facade remains a critical failure.
  • The 13.7-metre height of the continuous eastern facade, coupled with a 1-metre level difference and the shallow rear gardens of Sunbury Park, creates an oppressive and overbearing impact on neighbouring residents that cannot be mitigated without material alteration to the design.

Cited Policies (CDP)

Zoning Z1Section 14.7.1Section 15.4.2 (Architectural Design Quality)Section 15.5.2 (Infill Development)Section 15.5.4 (Height)Section 15.5.6 (Plot Ratio and Site Coverage)Section 15.13.7 (Nursing Homes/Assisted Living)Section 15.9.17 (Separation Distances)Appendix 3 (Plot Ratio and Site Coverage)Appendix 5 Table 2 (Parking Standards)Policy SC5Policy SC11Policy SC16Policy SC19Policy QHSN10Policy QHSN12Policy QHSN17Policy QHSN18Policy SMT1Policy SMT4Policy SMT18

Decision Document Summary

The proposal involves the demolition of derelict greenhouses and the construction of a four-storey, 120-bedroom nursing home on the 0.67-hectare site of the former Highfield Plant Nursery in Rathgar, Dublin 6. The site is an enclosed brownfield area surrounded by Residential Conservation Areas. Key issues in the appeal included concerns from local residents regarding traffic safety on the narrow Oaklands Crescent, the legality of the access route through St. Luke’s Hospital, and the visual impac...
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