Room For 535 More By The Dargle?

The old Bray Golf Club site

100-year-old building that has crashed and – thanks to a March 2019 fire – burned, the old Bray Golf Club and its grounds are headed for the Wicklow Planning process once again.

With Sean Mulryan’s Ballymore Group having suffered a series of setbacks in its plans to develop a large-scale €190m residential scheme on the site, now come a company calling itself Shankill Propertys Investments Ltd with a pre-validation planning application for 586 residential units alongside retail, commmercial and a childcare facility.

And we know they’re serious. Because of how they spelled Propertys.

Their application (ref: SH202206) reads something very like this…

Change of use of lands former course use to residential and other uses consisting of 586 no. residential units and c.1,583 sqm of other uses comprising of 1 no. retail unit, a childcare facility, a café and 1 no. commercial unit (incorporating a gym and juice bar). Of theses, 234 no. residential units, c. 1071sqm of the other uses and associated site landscaping and site development works were previously permitted by An Bord Pleanala under ABP Ref. 311181-21, and they from part of this current application again.

The Ballymore design

The proposed development will also include all associated plant; refuse storage areas; communal open space; public open space; playgrounds; multi use games area, associated internal roads and drainage arrangements; utility connections; pedestrian/cycle linkages with adjoining sites; landscaping’ public lighting; construction compounds; and all site development works.

Down by the Dargle 1970s

In the meantime, Bray Property Development Ltd have their eyes on the former Everest Centre on Castle Street, also down by the Dargle, with a pre-validation planning application just filed for 49 apartments.

Their application (ref: 221054) reads…

Construction of a 49no apartment unit building comprising of four storey with fifth and sixth floors set back and containing 17no one bedroom/ 2 person units and 32no two bedroom/ 4 person units, new vehicular entrance, 25no sub-level vehicular parking spaces (including 2no disabled spaces), 108no secure resident and visitor bicycle parking spaces, plant room, communal storeroom, bin storage area, pedestrian entrances off Castle Street, creation of hard and soft landscaped public areas to front (south) and rear (north) of proposed development. Hard and soft landscaped rooftop (fifth floor) communal amenity space, roof mounted photo voltaic solar panel array (57sqm), connections to public infrastructure mains, and all other associated site development works.

It’s early days, of course, but it’s unlikely such prime real estates will stay vacant for long.