CONOR McGregor’s multi-million property empire has suffered a major knock-out blow.

This follows a Dublin City Council move to reject his plans to construct a multi-million euro eight storey 113 unit apartment block in the MMA fighter’s home area of Drimnagh, Dublin 12.

5Conor McGregor has suffered a knock-out blow to his building empire5Plans to construct a multi-million euro eight storey 113 unit apartment block in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 have been rejected5Dublin City Council roundly rejected the fighter’s proposed building scheme

They turned down McGregor’s Emrajare Ltd mixed use scheme that involves the demolition of the Marble Arch pub that he purchased for a reported €1.5m to €2m three years ago.

Emrajare’s Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) application was to also involve the demolition of warehouse buildings/structures on site.

In their place the fighter would construct a three storey to eight storey 113 unit apartment scheme and also a restaurant/bar/cafe, a gym, a retail unit on the 0.72 acre site at Benbulbin Rd, Drimnagh.

The MarbleArch LRD apartment scheme consists of 57 two bed units, 53 one bed units and three studios.

Over 20 objections were lodged against the scheme and in a comprehensive rejection of the scheme, the City Council has refused planning permission on four separate grounds.

In a decision issued on Thursday, the Council has refused planning permission as the proposed development “due to its design and excessive scale and density would constitute overdevelopment of the restricted site and create an overly dominant and incongruous development”.

The Council stated that the scheme fails to provide an appropriate transition on scale to existing residential development to the south of the site.

The planning authority stated that the scheme “would have an overbearing impact and result in undue overlooking of adjacent residential properties”.

The Council stated that the scheme would significantly detract from the visual amenities of the area and seriously injure the amenities of property in the vicinity.

The Council planners also concluded that the applicant has failed to demonstrate that the range of travel needs of the future resident population can be met by the proposed development.

The planning authority stated that due to the location of the site and the low provision of car parking proposed, the proposed development “would give rise to unacceptable levels of overspill and haphazard parking on adjacent heavily trafficked roads and bus corridor”.

The Council stated that a result, the proposed scheme would seriously injure the amenities of the area “and endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard and obstruction of pedestrians, bus services and other road users”.

The local authority also refused planning permission after pointing out that it fails to provide 5pc community, arts and culture space as part of the development in one with standards as set out in the Dublin City Development Plan.

Build details

Emrajare Ltd now has the option of appealing the Council’s refusal to An Bord Pleanala.

The Emrajare site lies adjacent to the ‘Heidelberg site’ which has planning permission for a nine storey 188 build to rent apartment scheme that Mr McGregor has purchased and works have commenced on site for that apartment scheme.

A planning report lodged with the MarbleArch LRD application by planning consultants, Tom Phillips + Associates state that the construction of both sites “will support the efficient and co-ordinated delivery of housing at two key suburban sites in the city council area”.

A number of objections have been lodged by or on behalf of elderly people living for decades on the Galtymore Rd in Drimnagh.

The Clancys, Maureen and Thomas live to the rear of the proposed Marble Arch Development and in their objection, Maureen Clancy stated: “My husband and I are in our 80th year and have health problems. I don’t want the wall at the end of my garden touched or upset.

‘Dreadful’

Ms Clancy said: “The congestion of the road is dreadful. We worked hard enough to buy our home without getting all the crap that is going on and the fear of any high apartments behind us. We like our privacy. After all, it is not too much to ask for?”

In another objection, Joseph Dromgoole told the council that he was objecting to the ’scale’ of such a large development “on this very small space, not only does it look out of place but also is far too close to the existing houses that are on Galtymore Rd”.

On behalf of Galtymore Rd residents, Kell and Mary Cheevers, chartered engineer, Michael Rogers has told the council that the applicants “are shoe-horning the maximum number of small units into the site, too close to neighbouring dwellings with no apparent regard for privacy or amenity of same”

In an objection lodged on behalf of the Drimnagh Residents Community Group, chairman, John Corr told the city council the group is strongly objecting “to the scale and the density of the planned Large Scale Residential Development”.

He said: “This is an area consisting of two & three bedroom family homes built in the 1930’s with an ageing community, who stand to lose their peace of mind, privacy, and will encounter several years of disruption, noise and most of all devaluation of their properties.”

‘Positive addition’

Advancing the planning case for the 113 unit application, Aoife McCarthy at Tom Phillips + Associates told the council that the proposed development “will provide for the urban consolidation of an infill brownfield inner suburban site” and the apartments are “designed to ensure high levels of residential amenity to prospective residents and the wider residential community”.

Ms McCarthy contended “that the building is of a high architectural design and will constitute a significant positive addition to the visual landscape in the environs of the application site”.

The site is located close to the Red Luas line, the Grand Canal and to significant employment hubs, St. James’ Hospital and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin.

Group CEO of McGregor Sports and Entertainment, Alan Geraghty is a director for Emrajare and and is a director of Mr McGregor’s other Irish firms.

The most recently filed accounts for Emrajare show that it had investment properties with a book value of €21.46m at the end of December 2022. The company had loans of €25.67m.

Mr McGregor has deep pockets to fund the MarbleArch LRD venture from the estimated hundreds of millions he has earned from his MMA career and business dealings.

According to figures from Forbes, McGregor was ranked 35th in its 2022 top highest earning athlete rankings earning $43m over a 12 month period before dropping off the list in 2023.

5The site is located close to the Red Luas line5The site overlooks the Grand Canal