Plans for a new 61-bedroom hotel close to St Stephen's Green in Dublin are facing local opposition.
Last month, Eamon Waters' Grafton Residence UC lodged plans for a new eight storey hotel for a site known as Textile House on Johnson’s Place and Clarendon Market.
The new hotel will be managed from Mr Waters's nearby 127 bedroom Grafton Hotel and represents an expansion of Mr Waters's Sretaw Hotel Group.
Mr Waters sold his waste company Beauparc Utilities for €1.3 billion and last year bought Textile House after it was put on the market for €6.5m.
In a letter in support of the application, Group Property Manager at the Sretaw Hotel group, Colm Lydon, said the Grafton Hotel is currently running occupancy levels of 90%+ for the first six months of the year.
But in an objection lodged on behalf of the operators of Pater's Pub of Johnson's Place, Paul Keogh Architects has told the Council that the proposal "constitutes a gross overdevelopment of an historic city block".
Mr Keogh states that there is no justification for the density and height proposed.
Mr Keogh also contends that the height of the building will overshadow sections of Clarendon Street and Chatham Street.
O’Neill Planning has lodged an objection on behalf of Stock Design Ireland Ltd of South King Street and has contended that the scale and height of the proposed development will lead to wholesale overlooking, overshadowing and overbearing of adjoining properties.
Michael O'Neill, of O'Neill Town Planning, stated that if the scheme proceeds, the redevelopment potential of the site owned by Stock Design Ireland would be effectively destroyed.
Mr O'Neill contends that the development effectively ignores all planning objectives and policies of the Council.
He also states that the proposed development by virtue of its type, height and size would seriously injure the existing and future amenities of adjoining owners’ properties.
In a submission, the Dublin City Planning Officer for An Taisce, Kevin Duff, contends that the scheme would represent an overbearing form of development in this location in Dublin’s south retail core and directly adjacent to Protected Structures.
Mr Duff contends that the scheme "would result in a serious reduction in amenity and light levels to these four-storey properties by reason of its direct proximity and relative height and bulk".
Mr Duff stated that the proposed development would represent an obtrusive element in the streetscape immediately adjacent to an Architectural Conservation Area where the established heights are generally three, four and five storeys and would constitute a random jump in the scale of the street.
"Due to its size and proximity it would furthermore negatively impact on the landmark Victorian stone former Mercer Hospital on the opposite side of the street, a Protected Structure," he said.
"Having regard to these various likely negative impacts, it is submitted that the proposed development needs to be significantly revised," he added.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
