The modular homes are located in Chianti Park on Mount Seskin Road, which is close to the Dublin-Wicklow border. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Sarah Burns of the Irish Times said the council acted following complaints from local residents. 

“Residents brought it to the attention of South Dublin County Council and local councillors last year, around August-September that modular homes were being constructed,” she explained. 

“So, the Council sent the developer warning letters and brought forward an application in the Circuit Court, along with the local resident, to stop the construction and for the homes to be demolished, for the work that was taking place to be demolished. 

“But construction still continued during this time.”

The ruling was appealed to the High Court, who concluded that the development was a “particularly egregious” violation of planning law. 

It means the 29 homes must be demolished. 

“Michael O'Donnell, for both the site owner and the developer, said that the development fell within this exemption as it was consistent with the character and the nature of the structures that were already on the site,” Ms Burns added. 

"And therefore didn't require planning permission, but I suppose the High Court's ruling back in June showed two photographs, one of which was a mobile home that was already on the site, and the second showing, as Judge Humphreys put it, a completely different structure, like it was a dwelling or a house. 

“So, it was two totally different things.” 

While rumours had circulated that the homes would be used as IPAS accommodation, Ms Burns felt there was “no clear” sense of who they would eventually house.

“Speaking to local politicians, they were all saying either planning laws apply to everybody or they don't apply at all,” she said. 

“I was speaking to Richie and David McDermott, they're the site owners, and they did say they would comply with the court orders in full.

“But they said they had offered the units to the council free of charge following the court case and that they were disappointed that they couldn't be put to some use now.”

However, local resident, John O’Neill, who objected to the development to the council, is delighted with the news. 

“He's lived across from the site for around the last 35 years, so he said him and his family were very happy with the judge's decision,” Ms Burns said. 

“He said he tried to secure planning permission on a site he had up the road for his son, which was never granted. 

“He pointed out, you know, there isn't proper infrastructure up there to do that amount of homes, things like public transport, bus stops, sewage and that it couldn't be one rule for one and a different for another.”

Main image: A bulldozer on a demolition job. Picture by: Alamy.com.