Planners refuse Mairead Ronan's Waterford extension designed by Dermot Bannon

Máiréad Ronan and her husband, Louis, have had their dreams dashed of a Dermot Bannon-inspired holiday home make-over in Dunmore East in Co Waterford.

This follows An Bord Pleanála refusing planning permission to the Ronans for a proposed two-storey extension to their home in the holiday hotspot.

The Ronans employed Dermot Bannon’s architectural firm to draw up their ambitious plans where they were seeking a 2,518 sq ft extension—almost a four-fold increase on the existing 648 sq ft home.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council before the plans were lodged, Dermot Bannon told a council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed “with some early 3D renders”.

A Design Statement lodged with the planning application by Orna Tubridy of Corridy Consulting told the council that the proposal “provides a modern interpretation of the historic 1835 terrace houses and bookends this five-dwelling terrace successfully”.

An image of the planned extension.

An image of the planned extension.

After two-and-a-half years in the planning system, not a brick has been laid and it is a case of going back to the drawing board for Bannon and the Ronans.

This arises from the appeals board refusing planning permission having regard to the scheme’s specific proposed design and the resultant scale, massing and bulk of the proposed development in comparison to the small scale of the existing dwelling on the prominent corner sitfe.

The board pointed out that the Ronan home is at the end of an historic terrace located close to the seafront and to the centre of Dunmore East and as such is not satisfied that the proposal would not adversely impact on the special character of the village’s Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

The board ruled that the scheme would materially contravene the Built Heritage Policy of the Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028. The Ronans would have secured planning permission but for the intervention of neighbours who opposed the project.

The couple first lodged their plan in August 2021 and Waterford City and County Council granted planning permission to the couple for the major home extension in July 2022.

However, the Ronans and Dermot Bannon Architects couldn’t proceed with the build after two appeals were lodged against the council decision by other homeowners on Curraghmore Terrace in Dunmore East.

Appeals

In his appeal, next door neighbour Tom O’Regan told the appeals board that “due to the intensified scale and its dominant appearance, the development will detract from the streetscape of Curraghmore Terrace and the entire Lower Village area”.

In a separate appeal, Valerie and Trevor Walsh told the appeals board that they could find nothing in documentation lodged to explain why it is necessary to adopt a “modern response” to the re-development of the home.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council before the plans were lodged, Dermot Bannon told a council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed “with some early 3D renders”.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council before the plans were lodged, Dermot Bannon told a council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed “with some early 3D renders”.

The Walshes contended that “such an inappropriate design would disproportionately impact on the overall ‘look and feel’ of the Lower Village’ and Dunmore East in general”.

Ronans’ response

In response to the objectors’ concerns, on behalf of the Ronans, David Mulcahy Planning Consultants, stated that the Ronans and their architects “were acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site when devising the proposed design”.

The submission added that “the proposed development is deserving of being within an Architectural Conservation Area on account of its high-quality design”.

The report states that the scheme “involves high-quality architecture involving exceptional design which is the case in this instance. The design involves a successful marrying of old and new”.

The Ronans spent this summer at Dunmore East and former Today FM presenter, Máiréad Ronan has stated in a previous interview that Dunmore East is her favourite place in Ireland to visit. Planning documentation shows that the Ronans purchased the home in May 2021.

In her report, appeals board inspector, Angela Brereton stated that the new larger scale contemporary design “will appear overly dominant on this corner site at the end of the historic terrace”.

Recommending refusal, Ms Brereton concluded that the design and layout as currently proposed would have an adverse impact on the character of Dunmore East ACA.

Would you like a lunchtime summary of content highlights on the Irish Examiner website? Delivered straight to your inbox at 1pm each day.