Dublin City Council has granted permission to developer Johnny Ronan for his planned €200m, six-storey office development to be located to the front of AIB’s headquarter building in Ballsbridge, opposite the RDS in Dublin 4.

The 52,000 sq feet development would be more than five times the area of the existing four lower level blocks on the site, which are due to be demolished.

Mr Ronan bought the site last year for more than €67m from a receiver appointed by Nama and Ulster Bank.

There have been a number of objections to the proposals, including from AIB itself and An Taisce the heritage watchdog, which suggests an almost inevitable appeal of the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) hopes to start building in September.

Shane Whelan, development director with RGRE, commented on the possibility of appeals: "We are going to engage with people who submitted observations but we are confident that the quality of the architecture and the design is sympathetic to the surrounding site and the campus that is Bankcentre," he said.

"We have been working closely with AIB and would be hopeful that it won’t be objecting to the scheme," Mr Whelan continued.