To answer your original question, that is effectively it for in terms of the original application. However, any new application may or may not be approved.
A few things:
- Who appealed to ABP? Was the application originally approved by DCC and then appealed? or refused by DCC and you appealed it to be refused again by ABP? If it was originally approved, you stand a better chance with a new application, especially if the person who objected is no longer around to appeal to ABP.
- Note that the refusal may or may not have anything to do with any objection, and the original application and refusal will be noted in the appraisal of any new application.
- If refused by DCC, what reasons were given? In general, if a new application can show how it addresses the issue that caused the refusal, it stands a chance of being approved.
- 2009 is quite a while ago now, and priorities change. In particular, DCC is probably more interested now in adding to the numbers of housing approvals to show action on housing provision.
In short, the original application is dead, but if you address the issues identified and have a pre-planning meeting with DCC to get their views, you should be in with a chance. It would be a pretty slim one though if DCC refused the original as well as ABP and there wasn't any significant change to address their refusal reason.