Hodson Bay refused permission for €40m Dublin hotel

The Athlone-based Hodson Bay hotel group has hit a setback in its plan to construct a major new hotel in Dublin city centre, after An Bord Pleanála refused permission for a 263-bedroomed hotel on the Coombe, near St Patrick's Cathedral.

Despite Dublin City Council giving the go-ahead and a conditional recommendation from the appeal board's planning inspector, An Bord Pleanála decided to disallow the estimated €40 million project on the grounds that it would be an overdevelopment of the derelict site.

The Hodson Bay group, which is controlled by the O'Sullivan family and incorporates three hotels in Athlone and Galway, made the application using a company called Realmside.

The proposal was for a six-storey over basement hotel on a boarded up site adjacent to the popular Fallon’s Capstan bar, which is across the road from the cathedral junction and close to the end of Cork Street in Dublin 8.

The planning inspector’s report noted that because the lobby was double-height, it was effectively a seven-storey building, higher than almost all others in the area.

An Taisce brought an appeal to An Bord Pleanála after Dublin City Council granted permission. An Taisce argued the scale was “grossly excessive” and said it was inappropriate for “the historic medieval setting of St Patrick’s Cathedral”.

Bedroom shortage

Fáilte Ireland, the State tourism authority, was strongly in favour of the proposed development. It said tourism "is being threatened due to a shortage of hotel bedrooms" and urged An Bord Pleanála to let it go ahead.

The planning inspector recommended the board give its approval, but only if the developers knocked off a storey and reduced the number of bedrooms to 206.

The board noted this recommendation but suggested the changes required to make it acceptable were too extensive to approve it with conditions.

John O’Sullivan, the chairman of the Hodson Bay group, said its architects were already working on a redesign and a new planning application would be submitted, taking into account the board’s concerns.

“At least now we have an idea of what is required to get planning on the site,” he said. “We’re happy to go with that. It is a significant project for us.”