An Bord Pleanala has granted planning approval for the ESB’s new corporate headquarters on Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Street, in the heart of the city’s Georgian district.

The €150m development will deliver almost 50,000 square meters of new commercial space, and involve the demolition and replacement of the 1960s Sam Stephenson designed facade.

That design was controversial as it involved the destruction of nearly 20 Georgian houses.

Ironically, councillors have also objected to the destruction of part of the current facade - arguing that it should be preserved as an example of 20th century architecture.

ESB first announced its intention to build new offices on Fitzwilliam Street in south-central Dublin during 2013 but the planning process has been complicated by strict planning guidelines.

Originally, planning restrictions would have required the new buildings to feature Georgian facades. These rules were changed but subsequent plans for the building were also rejected - the latest offering promises to be "respectful of the surrounding Georgian area."

It will be divided into five blocks - each the width of a Georgian town house - to “reinstate the Georgian rhythm” of the street and surrounding area.

The complex will take about 2.5 years to build, and will provide 400 construction jobs and ultimately house up to 3,000 office workers.