AN UNFINISHED OFFICE building in Sandyford, Dublin 18 has been given the greenlight by An Bord Pleanála after it became one of the enduring symbols of Ireland’s property crash in the area.

The shell of the 14-storey building, known locally as the ‘Sentinel’, has been sitting dormont since the recession and, after years of planning disputes, has been left unfinished until plans were officially signed off and approved.

In September 2023, An Bord Pleanála signed off on these plans, under the condition that at least 40% of the 100 new apartments have three bedrooms – a decision which as been appealed by the owners of the property.

Original plans allocated that the building have almost 300 office ‘suites’ and meeting rooms, but have since been changed to build around 110 apartments by the Dante Property Company.

The approval has been welcomed by locals, according to local Green Party councillor Oisín O’Connor, who detailed that the 100 new living spaces will give more room for new residents, along with 428 new apartments in a neighbouring development.

O’Connor added: “It’s positive that An Bord Pleanála have supported the council’s decision to approve the application to finish this eyesore building in the middle of Sandyford, known locally as the Sentinel.”

“Whether it’s local people or business leaders that I meet in the area, the provision of more housing is always the topic of conversation and nowhere in the country is this being better facilitated than Sandyford and the surrounding areas,” he said.

In 2017, the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown council approved a plan by the Dante Property Company, on offshoot of the Comer Group, to develop the building. However, these plans had been stalled while the development company’s owners sought approval.

Cork developer John Fleming, one of Ireland’s biggest builders during the boom, was the one who started work on the Sentinel building through his Tivway company in 2007 but once the recession hit, the firm struggled with high debt.

An examiner was appointed to Tivway in 2009, followed by a liquidator when it was deemed that the business was unviable.

When the examiner was appointed, construction of the Sentinel building stopped. The Comer brothers, two of Ireland’s richest and most successful builders, bought the Sentinel in 2011 for just under €1 million.

O’Connor said he hopes the approval of the new plans will encourage the council to create more community facilities in the Glencullen-Sandyford area such as, civic parks and an indoor community hubs.

Includes reporting by Paul O’Donoghue