CELEBRITY ARCHITECT DERMOT Bannon has to dramatically scale back house extension and revamp plans by broadcaster Máiréad Ronan if she is to secure the green light for an extended dream family home at tourism hotspot, Dunmore East.

This follows Waterford City and County Council writing to applicants Máiréad and Louis Ronan requesting the two to submit revised proposals that “should include a reduction in scale and massing of the proposed development”.

In December, the Ronans lodged plans drawn up by Dermot Bannon Architects for a house extension that was almost three times the size of the couple’s existing home at Dunmore East.

The Ronans were applying for a scaled down version of the Dermot Bannon designed scheme that was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in November 2023 in a bid to overcome planners and locals’ concerns.

However, the scheme failed to dampen local opposition against the scheme, with locals in Dunmore East lodging four objections with Waterford City and County Council.

The new Bannon plan includes a 165 sq metre extension compared to the 60 sq metre home currently in place, where 46 sq metre of the existing home all be retained.

The scheme involves the four proposed bedrooms to be located at ground floor level with the kitchen/dining area and living area at first floor level.

The scheme also involves a first-floor roof terrace to the rear, and this will be screened with fencing to ensure no overlooking of the neighbouring home.

In a 22-page planning report lodged with the application, planning consultant David Mulcahy has stated: “The existing house on the site is notably small in terms of floor area and it is essential for the applicant to expand same in order to facilitate a modern family home.”

However, in a major blow to the Ronan plans, the Council has told them that the location of the site is in a prominent location in the centre of Dunmore East and within the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

The council states that because of this, it has concerns on the proposed development in terms of negative impact on the streetscape and the wider ACA. 

In the revised proposals, the Council states that the proposed extension “should be subordinate to the main dwelling and not over dominate the character of the existing more modest property and historic terrace”. 

The Council states that in addition, “any proposed development should appear less prominent in the streetscape and should maintain and enhance the special character of the ACA”.

Neighbours Valerie and Trevor Walsh at Curraghmore Terrace were successful in halting the original plan when lodging an appeal to An Bord Pleanála and in their new objection, the Walshs contend that the extension amounts “to the creation of an almost entirely new house”. 

They state: “Whereas the original house is some 60 sq. metres with two bedrooms, the new structure will extend to some 240 sq. metres resulting in the extension being some 4 times the size of the original building. 

The Walshs contend “our overall contention is that the proposed development represents significant and unacceptable intensification”.

In another objection, Dunmore East resident, Patrick Cregg has told the Council that the scheme “would clearly cause loss and damage to the special character of the terrace in terms of settings and vistas”.

John Battles of Dunmore East has told the council that the proposal will detract from the special character of the existing terrace “and is not suited to the surrounding streetscape, especially when placed on such a small site”.

Tom O’Regan of Curraghmore Terrace, Dunmore East – who also objected to the 2021 scheme - has told the council that the scale of the proposed extension “is not sympathetic to the modest size of the original property and would set an undesirable precedent for similar sized dwellings”

He said in order to create additional amenity space the proposal contains a first-floor terrace and this feature “would have the potential to cause noise nuisance and overlooking”. 

Planning consultant for the couple, David Mulcahy, had told the council that the design of the proposed extension “has been significantly altered from the previous refusal with the bulk and massing reduced”.

He stated that the new design integrates successfully with the established context and is designed not to dominate or overpower the adjoining row of terrace dwellings.

Mr Mulcahy pointed out that the design “is notably less contemporary to the previous application from a visual perspective and therefore integrates better with its more traditional context”. 

The application will become ‘live’ once more after the Ronans have lodged their scaled down plans.