Planning Permission Ireland
GrantedApartmentsDecided 23 June 2025

Independent House, 87-93 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1, D01 NH70

Large-scale student accommodation development proposed at Independent House.

WEBLRD6075/25-S3 · Dublin City Council · Lodged 6 March 2025

Reference
WEBLRD6075/25-S3
Authority
Dublin City Council
Register status
Decided
Type
Large Residential Development
Received
6 March 2025

Summary

AI-generated

A Large-Scale Residential Development application is being made for a student accommodation scheme at the 0.3 hectare Independent House site. The project involves six interconnecting vacant structures, including a protected structure, ranging up to six storeys.

Apartmentsstudent housingredevelopmentcity centre

Generated from the description above by an AI model and may contain mistakes. The council’s description is the authoritative record.

Official record

Development description

Protected structure: summix ihd developments limited intend to apply to dublin city council for a permission for a large-scale residential development principally comprising student accommodation at this c. 0.3 ha site at nos. 87-93 middle abbey street, dublin 1, d01 nh70 (known collectively as ‘independent house’). The site is generally bound by prince’s street north to the north, william’s lane and nos. 94-96 middle abbey street to the west, middle abbey street to the south, and nos. 35-39 o’connell street lower (known as ‘penneys’) to the east. The site comprises 6 no. Interconnecting, long-standing vacant structures as follows: (a) a principally part 5 no. To part 6 no. Storey above basement level building fronting middle abbey street, known as independent house, with a single storey workshop building to the rear; (b) a 5 no. Storey (above basement level) building at the corner of middle abbey street and william’s lane, known as emerald chambers; (c) a triple height (at basement level) structure towards the centre of the site, known as the ‘printing hall’; (d) a 2 no. Storey (above basement level) warehouse and office fronting william’s lane; (e) a part 3 no. To part 4 no. Storey (above basement level) loading bay and office fronting prince’s street north; and (f) a 3 no. Storey (above basement level) office in the eastern portion of the site, bounded by penneys. The site includes 2 no. Protected structures (rps ref. Nos. 18 & 8797). The development’s surface water and foul water drainage network shall discharge from the site into the existing combined sewer located along prince’s street north to the north-west of the site. A new pedestrian crossing and upgrade works to the footpath and kerb along prince’s street north are proposed. Public realm improvements are also proposed to william’s lane. The development site area, drainage works, road works and public realm improvements will provide a total application site area of c. 0.33 ha. The development will principally consist of: the retention and refurbishment of part of the building façade along prince’s street north; the demolition of the 3 no. Former warehouses and offices (c. 5,270 sq m) and the lowering of part of the basement level thereat; the demolition of part of the adjoining wall to the north-east of the site, bounding the penneys loading bay; the partial demolition of the printing hall (c. 457 sq m) and the rear of emerald chambers (c. 150 sq m) and independent house (c. 100 sq m); the removal of the existing concrete roof slab at emerald chambers to facilitate an increase in floor-to-ceiling height at fourth floor level; the lowering of part of the ground floor level in independent house and emerald chambers for universal access; refurbishment works to the protected structures including general internal and external works for conservation repairs, maintenance, change of use and upgrading of the buildings; and the construction of a part 1 no. To part 9 no. Storey over basement building connecting into the retained structures and principally comprising 316 no. Student accommodation bedspaces (267 no. Standard rooms, 5 no. Accessible rooms, 2 no. Twin studios (4 no. Bedspaces), 10 no. Accessible studios and 30 no. Single studios) with associated facilities, which will be utilised for short-term let during student holiday periods. The 272 no. Standard and accessible rooms are provided in 42 no. Clusters ranging in size from 5 no. Bedspaces to 8 no. Bedspaces, and all clusters are served by a communal living/kitchen/dining room. The development also provides: ancillary internal and external communal student amenity spaces and support facilities; cultural and community floor space (c. 644 sq m); 3 no. Retail units (c. 216 sq m); a café/restaurant (c. 254 sq m); bicycle stores at basement and ground floor levels; visitor cycle parking spaces; bin stores; esb substation; hard and soft landscaping; green/blue roofs; new telecommunications infrastructure at roof level, together with all associated equipment; boundary treatments; pv panels; plant; lift overruns; and all associated works above and below ground. The gross floor area of the development is c. 15,413 sq m comprising c. 12,751 sq m above basement level. The planning application may also be inspected online at the following website setup by the applicant: www. Independenthouselrd. Ie

Land-use zoning

What this land is zoned for

Z5: City CentreUC
To consolidate and facilitate the development of the central area, and to identify, reinforce, strengthen and protect its civic design character and dignity.

National zoning type: City/Town/village Centre, central area

Objective set by the Development Plan 2022-2028 (2022–2028). The planning authority decides each application on its own merits — this is the zoning context, not a compliance assessment.

Read the zoning objectives in the development plan

Built & sold

What happened next

Beyond the decision: whether this development was built, and what property here has sold for.

Recent sales nearby

within 500 m
Residential Property Price Register sales within 500 metres of this site
AddressDatePriceDistance
Apt 1, 94 Middle Abbey St, Dublin 1May 2026€2,000,00034 m
84 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1May 2025€1,000,00046 m
319 Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1, DublinJul 2025€265,000104 m
324 Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1Jul 2025€290,000114 m
Apt 336, Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1Dec 2025€280,000114 m
303 The Lotts, Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1Dec 2025€250,000132 m
363 Bachelors Walk, Dublin 2, DublinDec 2025€358,000142 m
31 Batchelors Walk, Ashbourne, Co. MeathSept 2025€486,000143 m

Nearby properties, not this site — a guide to local values.

Sources: Building Control Management System (commencement notices) and the Residential Property Price Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Records are matched to this application by location and may not be exhaustive; always confirm against the official source before relying on them.

Key dates

Timeline

  1. Application received6 March 2025
  2. Decision due23 June 2025
  3. Decision issued23 June 2025
  4. Permission expiry11 September 2030

In the area

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