Home of 1916 hero to make way for €66m apartment plan

The appeals board has granted planning permission to the McSharry and Kennedy families, owners of the Herbert Park Hotel, for the fast-track plan that will contain 105 apartments in a project called '40 Park' on a site overlooking Herbert Park in Ballsbridge.

In order to comply with its Part V social housing obligations, applicants Derryroe Ltd have put a price tag of €5.88m on 10 apartments it is planning to sell to Dublin City Council.Derryroe Ltd has secured planning despite strong opposition to the demolition of The O'Rahilly home by relatives of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation, the Department of Culture and Arts, An Taisce, the Pembroke Road Residents Association and the South Georgian Core Residents Association

Heritage

Michael Joseph O'Rahilly, known as The O'Rahilly, was the only leader of the 1916 Rising to die in battle.

He was the first occupant of Number 40, Herbert Park in 1909 and his widow, Nancy, lived there until her death in 1961.

However, the appeals board's senior planning inspector in the case, Karen Kenny, concluded that the building was not subject to any form of heritage designation and on that basis, she considered "that a refusal of permission based on the site's architectural or historic significance is not warranted".

Separately, Dublin City Council has stated that it has no objection in principle to the development of a shared co-living development on a site at 98 Merrion Road.

The plan is facing local opposition and the council has told Bartra Capital to review the size of the bedrooms in the 111-unit plan as it has "serious concerns regarding their size and functionality".

The council states that this is particularly relevant given the Covid-19 pandemic.