Ronan Group Real Estate says it is actively pursuing London opportunities, focusing on living-led schemes under Libra Living, while continuing its Dublin regeneration push, buoyed by the Spencer Place sale and ongoing projects such as the Glass Bottle site.
Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) has, for the second time in just a few months, signalled a potential return to the London market, while continuing to push its extensive Dublin development programme. The Dublin-based developer, best known in the UK for the aborted Battersea Power Station project, disclosed that alongside its Irish pipeline it is “actively pursuing opportunities” in London, with the initial focus on living schemes under its Libra Living brand. The timing follows the €177 million sale of Spencer Place in Dublin’s Docklands to Ardstone, a deal described as Ireland’s largest residential investment of the year and a clear gauge of strong urban living demand. RGRE’s leadership also reinforced the prospect of a London comeback in a statement to Bisnow, with Rory Williams noting there is a “desire to go back into London” after the Fortress settlement cleared the way for UK activity. London, Williams suggested, would be a natural next step for the firm’s regeneration-driven approach, given RGRE’s recent focus on Dublin projects such as the Glass Bottle site near Sandymount and Citi’s €300 million European headquarters on North Wall Quay. The group’s past in London sits at the heart of its current strategy: during the pre-Global Financial Crisis era, its partners in the Treasury Holdings venture proposed a vast, largely mixed-use master plan for Battersea Power Station, a project later derailed by financial distress and regulatory oversight. Rafael Viñoly Architects’ master plan for Battersea ambitiously charted 8.5 million square feet of offices, homes, retail and cultural space, linked by enhanced transport and riverfront connections. The scale and ambition of that vision continue to inform RGRE’s thinking as it surveys a possible UK re-entry, according to contemporary background material on the Battersea redevelopment.
The idea of RGRE re-entering London is described in detail by industry observers as part of a longer arc. The Irish Times noted in November last year that RGRE’s leadership viewed London as the obvious location for future activity once the dust settled from the earlier dispute with Fortress Investment Group, framing the move as a strategic extension of RGRE’s regeneration portfolio. The Battersea plan—originally pitched during the Treasury Holdings era—was a landmark undertaking: a sprawling, mixed-use redevelopment in Nine Elms anchored by the power station and supported by a proposed Northern Line extension, with offices, homes, retail and cultural amenities arranged around a formal circular public space and riverwalk. Although the master plan captured the imagination, the project stalled in 2011 as lenders moved to appoint administrators and Treasury Holdings was ultimately wound up in 2012. Speaking to The Irish Times, RGRE’s leadership has signalled that London remains the obvious target for a future UK venture, even as the company continues to prioritise its Dublin sites and the ongoing regeneration play around Poolbeg West.
In Dublin, RGRE’s deal flow has continued apace. Ardstone Capital is set to pay €177 million for Spencer Place, a high-end residential scheme RGRE developed in the Dublin Docklands, a transaction that underscores robust demand for urban living and the continued appeal of RGRE’s Dublin portfolio. The sale accompanies RGRE’s broader Dublin pipeline, including the ongoing Waterfront project in Ballsbridge and the Glass Bottle development, with Libra Living newly managing the rental side of RGRE’s urban assets. Separately, RGRE remains active in the city’s broader regeneration agenda, including plans at the former Irish Glass Bottle site that involve Pembroke Beach DAC’s proposed 20-storey hotel tower, a project designed to add hundreds of bedrooms and bolster Dublin’s west harbour as a major mixed-use destination. The 20-storey concept, reported in March 2025, reflects RGRE’s intent to continue expanding its urban footprint in Ireland even as it eyes opportunities north of the Irish Sea.
In short, RGRE’s latest communications frame London as a credible, if aspirational, next leg in its international expansion, anchored by the company’s experience with large-scale regeneration and its ongoing Dublin successes. While the Battersea period remains a touchstone for the group’s ambitions in the UK, the immediate path appears to start with living-led, placemaking-focused opportunities that could, if realised, translate into a broader UK portfolio once the market conditions align.
Reference Map:
Source: Noah Wire Services
Verification / Sources
- https://www.bisnow.com/london/news/affordable-housing/ronan-group-looks-to-uk-again-as-irish-developer-targets-london-living-130660 – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2024/11/23/johnny-ronan-plots-london-return/ – Johnny Ronan’s Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) has signalled a return to London following the settlement of its dispute with Fortress Investment Group. The Irish Times report quotes RGRE chief executive Rory Williams describing London as the obvious location for future activity, with ambitions to pursue opportunities abroad after a years-long legal battle. The piece notes RGRE’s renewed focus on Dublin projects, including the Glass Bottle site near Sandymount and Citi’s €300 million European HQ on North Wall Quay, alongside plans to reacquire assets from receivers. The London move is framed as a strategic step within RGRE’s regeneration portfolio for London.
- https://www.irishtimes.com/property/commercial-property/2025/05/28/ardstone-capital-to-pay-177m-for-dublin-docklands-apartments-developed-by-johnny-ronan-firm/ – Ardstone Capital is set to pay €177 million to acquire Spencer Place, the high-end residential scheme developed by Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) in Dublin’s north docklands. The sale, understood to involve the portfolio of 393 apartments previously held with Fortress Investment Group, is framed as a reflection of strong residential fundamentals and demand for urban living. The bid process drew interest from multiple parties, including Hines, and the article notes yields around 4.9 per cent. The transaction accompanies RGRE’s Dublin pipeline, including Waterfront South Central for Citi and the Glass Bottle project, with Libra Living running the rental management.
- https://vinoly.com/works/battersea-power-station-master-plan/ – Rafael Viñoly Architects’ Battersea Power Station Master Plan reimagines the riverside site as a dense, mixed-use district on London’s south bank. The plan positions the Grade II*-listed power station as the focal point within regeneration, integrating residential, offices, retail, cultural venues and a zero‑carbon energy plant. The scheme centres on a formal circular square, with improved pedestrian links and a connected riverwalk. Buildings cascade from the power station, emphasising terraces and public spaces, while a CCHP energy system underpins sustainability. The master plan seeks to create a self-contained, walkable district capable of attracting thousands of jobs and residents for London.
- https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/4671-in-london-futuristic-plans-for-an-old-power-station – In London, Futuristic Plans for an Old Power Station describes Rafael Viñoly Architects’ eight-million-square-foot Battersea Power Station scheme unveiled in 2008. The plan treats the landmark as an element of a vast mixed-use redevelopment that would couple housing with offices, retail, cultural venues and an energy hub. A circular public space and riverfront connections were proposed to stitch the site into the surrounding Nine Elms area. The vision included a prominent glass-tower element and an on-site transit extension. Although initially controversial, the proposal helped catalyse a decades-long regeneration effort and established Battersea as a destination for capital investment.
- https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/03/03/johnny-ronan-venture-to-seek-planning-permission-for-20-storey-tower-on-irish-glass-bottle-site/ – A RGRE joint venture led Pembroke Beach DAC plans a 20-storey hotel tower at the former Irish Glass Bottle site in Dublin’s docklands. The planned tower would reach 228 bedrooms, with two basement levels and a bar and restaurant. Dublin City Council is to decide on the hotel planning notice. Pembroke Beach DAC comprises RGRE, Oaktree Capital and Lioncor, continuing RGRE’s push to develop the Poolbeg West site into a major mixed-use destination. The article notes progress on early phases, including 894 units under construction, and references RGRE’s broader plans to expand Dublin’s housing stock with social and private units.
- https://www.jll.com/en-uk/newsroom/strong-q2-for-single-family-btr-investment – JLL’s UK Living team reports £2.2 billion of Build to Rent investment in the first half of 2025, with single-family housing accounting for roughly 60% of activity in Q2. The release notes that, despite robust early-year performance, multifamily investment slowed in Q2 as development viability and planning challenges restrained new starts. The data indicates a sector still buoyant overall, with continued appetite for living assets, while investors balance risk against opportunities in assets such as stand-alone single-family homes and stabilised portfolios. The report highlights forward funding, regulatory changes, and macro conditions expected to influence deal flow in H2 2025 significantly.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score: 6
Notes: 
The narrative is timely but not wholly new: major elements (RGRE signalling a London return after its Fortress settlement) were reported earlier (Irish Times, 23 Nov 2024) and follow-up reporting on RGRE’s Dublin transactions and planning activity appeared in March–May 2025. 
The Bisnow piece (21 Aug 2025) consolidates those developments and adds the recent Spencer Place sale detail. 
Because substantially similar coverage exists more than 7 days earlier (Nov 2024 and spring 2025), the story should be flagged as partly recycled — the Bisnow version updates and packages that earlier material (which modestly improves freshness) but does not appear to contain an entirely new breaking revelation. 
If the infrastructure is a press release or company statement driving repetition, that typically increases apparent freshness but may reflect PR-led republishing rather than independent reporting.
Quotes check
Score: 4
Notes: The quote attributed to RGRE CEO Rory Williams (“There is a desire to go back into London” / “We’re keen to look abroad again”) appears verbatim in earlier reporting — notably The Irish Times on 23 Nov 2024 — indicating the wording is reused rather than unique to this piece. 
No exclusive or new direct quotations were located online that pre-date the Nov 2024 usage; Bisnow is reusing/republishing an earlier company statement/quote. If no identical quote had been found, that would have been a sign of potentially original reporting, but here the identical phrasing reduces novelty.
Source reliability
Score: 8
Notes: The narrative is reported by established outlets with track records in business/property coverage (Bisnow; The Irish Times; other mainstream Irish and real-estate outlets reporting the Spencer Place transaction and Glass Bottle planning notices). The content draws heavily on company statements (RGRE) and industry commentary; where the origin is company communications, readers should note potential PR influence. 
Entities named (Ronan Group Real Estate / Johnny Ronan / RGRE / Ardstone / Fortress / Pembroke Beach DAC / Libra Living) are verifiable via reputable records and multiple reporting outlets, reducing the risk of fabrication.
Plausability check
Score: 9
Notes: Claims are plausible and corroborated by multiple independent items: (a) RGRE’s interest in returning to London is documented in Nov 2024 reporting and again in Aug 2025; (b) planning notices and reporting confirm a proposed 20-storey hotel at the Irish Glass Bottle site (March 2025); (c) reporting in May–Aug 2025 documents a transaction around Spencer Place for ~€177m. No surprising or extraordinary claim lacking corroboration was found; coverage is consistent across reputable outlets. 
The narrative includes specific factual anchors (names, dates, transaction figure, planning-notice detail), which supports credibility. Tone is generally standard industry reporting; however, because company statements and PR form part of the reporting chain, independent confirmation of future actions (e.g. an actual London acquisition) remains open until transactional announcements appear.
