Developer Ray Grehan is to appeal the decision to reject his plan for a €150m Norman Foster-designed development at Howth in north Dublin.

Grehan wants to build 386 apartments, sports facilities, a hotel, shops, offices and a crèche on the former Techrete site, as well as some residential units for travellers.

Fingal county council rejected the scheme because it "considered that the proposed development would give rise to a poor standard residential environment" and "would constitute overdevelopment and overintensification of use of the site, would seriously injure the visual amenity of the immediate and wider area, making a radical change in the urban form of the area".

"While the building designs by 'starchitecht' Lord Foster were striking, the massive seven-, eight- and 12-storey heights would totally dominate the surrounding landscape," said Labour TD Tommy Broughan, who opposed the plan.