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Housing crisis cited in refusing planning permission for Dublin 2 hotel

Extension to facility on Parliament St also fails to get go-ahead

The Paramount Hotel and Turk's Head bar in Dublin’s Temple Bar

Gordon Deegan
Fri Feb 2 2024 - 19:33

Dublin City Council has cited the ongoing housing crisis as grounds for refusing planning permission for a new 111-bedroom hotel for Dublin city centre.

Last year, Appalachian Property Holdings Ltd lodged plans for 19-24 on St Andrew’s Street, Dublin 2 which would change the use of three floors from office to hotel and also for the construction a new six-storey extension. The An Post branch on the ground floor would remain where it is

The site is located less than 500 metres from College Green and Grafton Street.

In refusing planning permission, the council said that taking into account the ongoing housing crisis and the clear direction in the city development plan in terms of promoting mixed-use development with a focus on residential in the city centre, the proposed change of use to hotel does not represent the best use of the upper floors of this partially vacant city centre site.

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As part of its refusal, the council also cited it’s Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) which recognises a high demand for long-term residential rental properties such as apartments in Dublin city where the emerging trend shows an increase of rental demand for this type of residential accommodation.

The council also concluded that the proposed works would give rise to an unacceptably adverse and injurious impact on the special architectural character and setting of the subject building which is a protected structure.

The refusal came despite an endorsement of the scheme by Fáilte Ireland.

In a submission, Fáilte Ireland’s Shane Dineen said that the proposed hotel “would be a valuable addition to the tourist accommodation stock in Dublin and would go some way to address the tourism accommodation shortages being faced by the city”.

Also in support of scheme, Lizzie Donnelly, from planning consultants Tom Phillips + Associates, said that the scheme had “been designed sensitively and will not give rise to unacceptable impacts upon the surrounding context”.

The council has also refused planning permission for a large hotel extension planned for Temple Bar.

Last August, Ampbay Ltd lodged plans to increase the size of the Paramount Hotel on Parliament Street from a 66-bedroom hotel to a 108-bedroom hotel.

However, in refusing planning permission, the council ruled that the scheme would represent an overdevelopment of the site and failed to integrate with the existing and surrounding development and would adversely affect the character and setting of protected structures.

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times

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