Stillorgan Orchard: Locals shocked at plans to demolish the pub with a famous thatched roof

Plans to demolish the landmark Stillorgan Orchard pub and its famous thatched roof in south Dublin have been met with “shock and disappointment” by people living in the area, local public representatives have said.

Robert Etchingham and John Martin, the owners of the site, lodged papers with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last week seeking planning permission to knock the pub down and build two blocks of 41 apartments.

Mr Etchingham is a director of Belgrave Capital Ireland, which applied for planning permission with a letter from Mr Martin giving “consent” for the project. The two men are the sole directors of The Strand Gastro Pubs, which owns the site.

The Stillorgan Orchard, which is located on The Hill next to Stillorgan Shopping Centre and directly opposite the former Blake’s Restaurant and Esmonde Motors sites, is a gastropub that has been in operation for more than 100 years.

The owners propose to build two apartment blocks of six storeys and four storeys. The apartment block to the front will contain 33 apartments along with a restaurant and retail unit at ground floor level. The apartment block to the rear will contain eight apartments. A first-floor podium will be provided between the two blocks with landscaping underneath. The maximum building height will be 19.8m.

The plans say the existing vehicular access from The Hill will be modified. There are also proposals for open public spaces, 27 car park spaces, 58 cycle spaces, bin storage, hard and soft landscaping, internal roads and paths and lighting.

Fine Gael councillor Maeve O’Connell said on Tuesday that “many members of the public” have been in touch with her about the plans.

“There is a lot disappointment in the area, which I would share. On the one hand there is the heritage side of it and losing the thatched roof. The other concern is that it’s another large scale development bang in the middle of the village.

“It is a landmark site. It goes to the cultural centre of the village. It’s called a village, and we’re now turning it into a mini-town centre. We need to decide what we want to be as opposed to finding ourselves turned into something without having realised it.”

Independent councillor Deirdre Donnelly said the pub and the cottages around it give Stillorgan “a village feel”.

“I do think it’s important that we build houses and apartments because people need to be able to get on the property ladder and own their own home, but I do think it’s a pity that a lovely thatched building like that is being demolished,” she said.

“It will be really sad to see. It is a pity that the opportunity to have a village feel to Stillorgan will be lost. You look at Blackrock, Dundrum village where great things are happening, Cabinteely village and Foxrock village are lovely. I think it’s a pity we can’t have something similar in Stillorgan as well.”

Fine Gael councillor John Kennedy said locals were “shocked” about the plans, not just in the immediate area but in the areas surrounding it.

“People like the character of the pub and it adds to the quality of the area,” he said. “Residents are very disappointed at that news. It adds to the village. There has been a lot of change to the design of Stillorgan village in recent years with new developments, and this is a much-loved public house that the community socialises in.”

Efforts to contact the owners of the pub on Tuesday were unsuccessful.