DEVELOPER HARRY Crosbie has been granted planning permission to build a no-star hotel - where room rates will start at €50 - to the rear of the Vicar Street music venue in Dublin's Liberties.
In March, Crosbie's plan for an eight-storey 180-bedroom hotel was turned down by Dublin City Council because of its height, massing and proximity to properties on Vicar Street, which it said would "seriously injure" and overshadow residential amenities and other developments in the area.
This time around he was looking to build an eight-storey hotel but on a smaller scale with 1,285sq m (13,832sq ft) of space. He is seeking to build 14 more hotel bedrooms than the last application at 194 but, while he is proposing a creative art studio, he is no longer proposing a workshop/ rehearsal space on the ground floor.
Crosbie has said the hotel will be almost "monastic" in terms of its facilities and will not seek a star rating from Bord Fáilte because it will be "too basic to have any stars".
The most lavish aspect of the development will be the €1 million spent on art works by young Irish artists for the bedrooms. A freight lift will bring patrons to the residents' bar, restaurant and check-in area in a "big glass box on top of the hotel" with city views.
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