An Irish billionaire businessman has applied to An Bord Pleanala in an effort to demolish his €35 million home, after being previously refused by Dublin City Council.

Denis O’Brien last year bought the exclusive Ballbridge home, which was the second highest price ever paid for a house in Dublin. The Tudor-style home, Belmont on the Shrewsbury Road, was built in 1904.

Mr O’Brien plans to replace the existing building with a new detached house, keeping the existing line of the building, but extending the living space into the basement as well as into the annex.

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It is understood Dublin City Council refused the application on the grounds that the form, design and scale of the house "contributes to the character and identify of the streetscape on Shrewsbury Road."

The Council said the redevelopment would "set an undesirable precedent for similar development which would cumulatively undermine the character of a conservation area." This refers to the council's Development Plan 2005-2011 to protect and improve the amenities of residential conservation areas.

A new submission on his behalf states the new home would be of a "high quality architectural design and materials, and reuses many elements and materials conserved from the existing house."

The seven-bedroom house has an indoor swimming pool, steam room and sauna and a putting green on two-thirds of an acre.

(JM)