Kennedy Wilson gets sign off for nine-storey KPMG offices redevelopment at St Stephen’s Green – The Irish Times

The Irish arm of US property giant, Kennedy Wilson (KW) has secured planning permission for a nine-storey “world-class mixed-use office led campus” at St Stephen’s Green that will have the capacity to accommodate more than 3,000 office workers.

Dublin City Council has granted planning permission to KW Investment Funds ICAV for revisions to its office scheme that was granted planning permission at Stokes Place in January 2023.

At the time, An Coimisiún Pleanála granted permission to KW Investment Funds ICAV to demolish the existing offices at Stokes Place – used by KPMG – facing onto St Stephen’s Green and Harcourt Street, and build an eight-storey office block.

In the new scheme the council has signed off on proposals to add a ninth floor to the scheme. Architects for the proposal, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris – one of the largest architectural firms in the UK – said that “as a landmark piece of architecture, the building is now ever more confident and singular, responding to our further understanding of the history of the locality”.

The new application adds 3,530sq m in office floor space to bring to 40,800sq m.

The council’s move came after its own planner’s report concluded that having regard to the nature and scale of the proposed development, the proposal would not have an adverse impact on the surrounding area.

Taking into account the revised drawings “the reconsidered design allows for a more sympathetic transition and stepped approach to the existing adjoining buildings,” it added.

“The ambition is to develop a world-class, mixed-use campus with a strong focus on office space, supported by outstanding architecture and carefully considered placemaking,” said Stephen Little, a planning consultant for KW.

He said that “workplace design has evolved significantly over the past five years, influenced by a growing emphasis on wellness, energy and carbon efficiency, and the shift in work practices following Covid-19. The revised proposal offers a unique opportunity to establish a lasting landmark in Dublin – one that embodies these principles through four central themes.

In response to the plans lodged last August, in a submission, BKD Architects on behalf of the owners of 97 to 100 St Stephen’s Green, DTIL Ltd stated that “our client has a number of concerns with certain aspects of the proposed design, and the potential adverse impacts that will arise as a result of the development”.