Apartment scheme intended for Joyce’s The Dead building is substandard, says council

Apartments planned for the building where James Joyce’s The Dead was set are substandard with a “low level” overall scheme quality, Dublin City Council has said.
The local authority’s criticism was set out in a letter to applicants Brimwood UC. The council has requested revised plans and a reduction in the number of units.
In July, Brimwood lodged plans to convert the property at 15 Usher’s Island, Dublin 8 into 10 apartments made up of seven one-bed units and three studios.
The firm is owned by former Monaghan senior GAA football manager Séamus “Banty” McEnaney. Last year it received more than €30 million for housing international protection (IP) applicants and Ukrainians through Government contracts.
An Taisce, the heritage foundation, is objecting to the scheme while a separate submission from Zoe Obeimhen, accompanied by a petition signed by 1,675 people, is also calling on the council to refuse permission.
Now its planners have told the firm that some of the units are substandard in terms of minimum floor areas and individual room areas and widths.
The council has requested Brimwood submit revised drawings that show a redesign of the proposal which will reduce the number of proposed units, preferably to one per floor.
The letter states that “units 1, 6 and 8 are of low quality and consider that they should be amalgamated with Unit 2 at basement level, unit 5 at first floor level and unit 7 at second floor level”.
The planning report on the proposal states that, notwithstanding the flexibility for standards within building refurbishment schemes, “the overall quality of the residential development is generally poor”.
[ Arts Council intervenes in row over contentious plans for James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’ houseOpens in new window ]
The city conservation officer has recommended the number of residential units be reduced from 10 to five.
The officer “expressed serious concerns regarding the proposed subdivision of the subject protected structure into 10 units and the proposed arrangements as currently presented would not be supported”.
Proposed layouts in the drawings are not compatible with, and do not relate sensitively to, the architectural design and special character of the protected structure, the opinion added.
A planning permission for tourist hostel accommodation at 15 Usher’s Island is in place until July 2026 and the council planner’s report states that due to the transient nature of hostel accommodation with subsequent wear and tear, the permanent residential accommodation in the form of apartments “has potential to be a less intensive use”.