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Forelandby Blindspot Labs

Sample brief

One site investigation, start to finish.

This is what Foreland produces when a development team asks about a site: the records it examined, the patterns it found, what remains uncertain, and the brief that comes out the other end.

Illustrative example. The records below are representative fixtures modelled on real Irish planning data — they are not live register entries. Run the analysis on your own site to work against the live record.

Step 1 · The question

What the team asked

“We are assessing a 0.4 ha infill site on a main road in Drumcondra, Dublin 9 for a four-storey apartment scheme of roughly 40 units. What does the planning record around the site suggest about risks and opportunities?”
Dublin City Council800 m around the site4-storey apartment scheme, ~40 units, 0.4 ha infill site

Step 2 · Source facts

Records examined

8 applications identified around the site — 5 granted (one on appeal), 2 refused, 1 pending. In the live product each row links to the source register entry.

ReferenceProposalDecisionDate
3141/21

Former depot site, Richmond Road, Drumcondra

Demolition of workshop and construction of 44 apartments in one 4-storey block with communal open space and 22 car-parking spaces

Closest comparable by scale and site type

Granted2021-11-04
WEB1436/22

Corner site, Grace Park Road, Drumcondra

36 apartments in two blocks of 3–4 storeys with reduced car parking (0.4 spaces per unit) adjacent to a quality bus corridor

Parking reduction accepted near public transport

Granted2022-07-19
4550/20

Backland site off Home Farm Road, Dublin 9

28 apartments in a 4-storey block on a backland site accessed via existing laneway

Refused: overlooking and substandard separation distances

Refused2020-09-30
2907/21

Infill site, Clonliffe Road, Dublin 3

32 apartments in a part 3, part 5-storey building with ground-floor retail unit

Refused: overbearing scale against 2-storey terrace; deficient private open space

Refused2021-05-12
3893/20

Former garage, Drumcondra Road Lower

40 apartments in a 4–5 storey block over basement parking

Refused by the council on height; granted by An Bord Pleanála with a reduced parapet

Granted on appeal2021-08-23
WEB1102/23

Richmond Avenue, Fairview

Demolition of two-storey dwelling and construction of 24 apartments in a 4-storey blockGranted2023-04-05
3260/22

Millbourne Avenue, Drumcondra

18 apartments in a 3-storey block with communal garden to rearGranted2022-10-11
4412/24

Corner of Botanic Avenue, Dublin 9

52 apartments in blocks of 4–6 storeys with creche

Decision not yet issued — outcome will sharpen the height picture

Pending—

Step 3 · Foreland's synthesis

Key findings

Analysis is visually separated from source facts, and every finding cites the records it rests on. Citations below jump to the evidence table.

  • Opportunity · AI synthesis

    Four storeys has repeatedly been accepted on main-road sites

    Three comparable schemes of 24–44 units at four storeys were granted between 2021 and 2023 on similar infill sites fronting main roads. The proposed height and density sit inside the recently permitted range rather than testing it.

    Evidence: Ref: 3141/21Ref: WEB1436/22Ref: WEB1102/23

  • Opportunity · AI synthesis

    Reduced car parking has precedent near the bus corridor

    A 2022 grant accepted 0.4 spaces per unit specifically citing proximity to a quality bus corridor. If the site has comparable access, full-standard parking may not be required — a material viability lever on a 0.4 ha plot.

    Evidence: Ref: WEB1436/22

  • Risk · AI synthesis

    Overlooking of adjoining gardens is the recurring refusal reason

    Both nearby refusals turned on relationships with adjoining two-storey housing: overlooking, substandard separation distances, and overbearing scale against a terrace. Elevations facing existing gardens will carry most of the planning risk on this site.

    Evidence: Ref: 4550/20Ref: 2907/21

  • Risk · AI synthesis

    The fifth storey is contested — but survived on appeal

    The council refused a 4–5 storey scheme on height grounds in 2020; An Bord Pleanála granted it with a reduced parapet. Height above four storeys is likely to be contested at council level, with appeal precedent in its favour.

    Evidence: Ref: 3893/20

  • Plan for it · AI synthesis

    Expect conditions on open space, construction management and contributions

    Grants in the area consistently attach conditions on communal open-space quality, a construction and demolition management plan, and Section 48 development contributions. None are unusual, but all carry cost and programme implications worth pricing early.

    Evidence: Ref: 3141/21Ref: WEB1436/22Ref: 3260/22

Step 4 · Patterns

Refusal reasons & recurring conditions

Recurring refusal reasons

  • ×2

    Overlooking / loss of privacy to adjoining gardens

    Cited in both refusals within the search area

  • ×2

    Overbearing scale against adjoining 2-storey housing

    Paired with separation-distance concerns

  • ×1

    Deficient private or communal open space

    Cited alongside scale concerns in one refusal

Common planning conditions

  • ×4

    Construction & demolition management plan

    Attached to every grant examined

  • ×4

    Section 48 development contribution

    Standard levy condition on all grants

  • ×3

    Communal open-space landscaping details

    Details to be agreed before commencement

  • ×2

    Surface-water attenuation / SuDS details

    Required on the two largest schemes

Step 5 · What we don't know

Uncertainties and gaps

Missing or pending evidence is reported alongside the findings, not hidden.

  • One directly comparable application (4412/24, 52 units at up to six storeys) is still pending — its outcome will materially sharpen the height picture.

  • Register digitisation before 2004 is inconsistent, so older planning history on the site itself may not appear in a records search.

  • Refusal-reason text is drawn from decision summaries; the full inspector or planner reports should be read before relying on any single interpretation.

Step 6 · The output

The site brief

The investigation ends in a document a team can take into a feasibility discussion. In the live product this exports with every citation attached.

Site brief — Drumcondra infill, ~40 units

Illustrative example

The recent planning record supports a four-storey, c. 40-unit scheme in principle. Design effort should concentrate on the interfaces with adjoining two-storey housing, where every local refusal has originated.

Precedent position
Three grants of comparable scale (24–44 units, four storeys) since 2021; one comparable refused at council level was granted on appeal with a reduced parapet.
Primary risk
Overlooking and overbearing relationships with adjoining gardens — the basis of both local refusals. Separation distances and elevation treatment facing existing housing are the critical design moves.
Cost & programme flags
Expect conditions on construction management, Section 48 contributions, landscaping and SuDS. Reduced parking may be achievable near the bus corridor, improving site yield.
Recommended next steps
Read the full decision reports on the two refusals; monitor the pending 52-unit application; test a four-storey massing with a set-back or omitted top floor on garden-facing elevations.

Foreland supports planning research and early-stage decision-making. Records and AI-generated analysis should be checked against official sources before professional reliance.

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