Residents of Sinead O’Connor’s old £1.5 million oceanfront property are in a dispute with the developer over plans to convert it into five luxury apartments.
When Sinead O’Connor returned to London in 2021, her previous residence was sold.
After a plan to convert Sinead O’Connor’s old £1.5 million Ireland home into five luxurious apartments was rejected, a dispute is now developing over the property.
The idea to build a three-story addition on top of a portion of the old seaside house has angered the neighborhood since it will put a new luxury apartment building directly above their dwellings.
In April, Wicklow County Council rejected a request to renovate and convert the charming mansion, known as Montebello, into apartments.
The building would be a “incongruous structure,” “intrude on views of protected structures in the vicinity of the site,” and “devalue adjacent homes,” according to planners.
However, the applicant has chosen to appeal in an effort to overturn the judgment, which they contend is “not justified.”
Irish singer Sinead paid just under £1.5 million for the home in the coastal community of Bray, County Wicklow, when she purchased it in 2007.
She came back to London in 2021 and sold it for approximately £892,000 before her away in Brixton in July at the age of 56.
Thousands of the musician’s supporters gathered in front of the Bray home earlier this month to see Sinead’s funeral procession.
Images of the six-bed house demonstrate how Sinead used her love of color there.
The living room and kitchen are pink-hued, the main corridor is purple and pink, and the utility room is purple.
A large blue goddess-like figure has been painted on the wall over the late star’s bed in one room, while the walls and carpet in another are orange.
The neighborhood had hoped that the Irish singing sensation would receive a permanent memorial at her former residence.
But now that neighbors and a developer fighting over plans to build more homes in the region, Montebello is destined to become into a planning war.
BBA Architecture filed the initial application for Rachel Carthy to convert the double-fronted property into five apartments last May.
The existing two-story rear addition of the property was to be demolished and rebuilt with three stories to provide apartments with balconies.
A large portion of the garden would be lost, two outbuildings would be destroyed, and a front porch would also be removed in order to make room for balconies at the front.
To install additional doors at the front and east, it would be necessary to extend the existing driveway and the existing openings.
The quoins at the end of the house, which Sinead painted in vivid colors, were also supposed to be taken down, according to the original plans.
However, the project has angered the neighborhood, who have denounced it as “intrusive” and “overbearing.”
Frank and Ceceline Power, who live next door, voiced their vehement opposition in a letter on their behalf.
“The proposal amounts to overdevelopment of a single family dwelling and would be inconsistent with the use and design of the lovely period homes along this seafront location,” it stated.
“This is a lovely period property with a lovely enclosed garden to the rear that is of considerable amenity and aesthetic value to our clients who are retired and spend a lot of time enjoying this lovely garden or the rear conservatory which is at a lower ground level to the subject site.”
The existing two-story rear addition, which has a low-profile hipped roof, does not now overlook them.
“The developer made no attempt to contact us or any of the nearby neighbors for consultation.”
We would consider this to be both impolite and ineffective.
For our clients, this will be a significant and highly burdensome burden.
David Armstrong, a local, continued, “Bray is renowned for its Victorian coastline.
In my opinion, allowing a significant Victorian heritage home to be drastically altered in the manner planned would be improper, reckless, and in conflict with the Local Area Plan.
It is improper to install a contemporary second story to a Victorian roofline.
Gareth Douglas claimed that the construction would affect how much sunshine could enter his backyard and how much visibility there would be.
The council first rejected Rachel Carthy’s proposal, but a month later chartered town planner Colin McGill filed an appeal on her behalf.
The intended roof profile for the attic conversion is stated to not take away from the seafront’s distinctiveness.
It won’t have an effect on either protected structures or views.
The projected development won’t significantly change the seafront’s character when compared to the magnitude of the nearby buildings.
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