Fresh blow for Dublin tourism as third hotel is refused

Irish Independent

23-05-2025

An Bord Pleanála has refused permission to Derek Murtagh's planned eight-storey, 81-bedroom hotel for Kevin Street Lower and Liberty Lane in ­Portobello, Dublin 8.
A report prepared for Mr Murtagh by the Head of Hotels & Leisure at Savills, Tom Barrett, stated the planned hotel 'would be a good addition to this city centre area'.
The refusal follows two hotel proposals by Eamon Waters's Sretaw Hotel Group failing to get permission to proceed this month.
In one decision, the appeals board refused planning permission for a new 61-bedroom hotel close to St Stephen's Green in a new eight-storey hotel for a site known as Textile House on Johnson's Place and Clarendon Market opposite the Grafton Hotel in Dublin.
In a second blow to the Sretaw Hotel Group, Dublin City Council planners refused planning permission to Mr ­Waters's Peachbeach UC for a 113-bedroom hotel for Baggot Street Lower as the scheme would cause serious injury to the special architectural character of the Georgian area.
In relation to the Murtagh scheme, the board refused planning permission as it concluded the hotel's ­excessive scale, massing and architectural design would be visually overbearing with an abrupt transition within the historic terrace which would detract from the prevailing scale and architectural character of the traditional streetscape.
The appeals board ruled the proposal would result in overdevelopment of the site and would negatively impact the setting of the Protected Structure.
The appeals board also concluded that notwithstanding the revised scheme of reduced scale, it was not satisfied the proposed development would not seriously injure the residential amenities of the opposing properties on Liberty Lane by reason of overbearance, ­overlooking, potential noise and disturbance and access to daylight and sunlight.
In the third ground for refusal, the board stated the board was not ­satisfied that the proposed development would provide an adequate level of public facilities such as a cafe, restaurant and bar uses to generate activity at street level throughout the day and night.
The board also stated that it was not satisfied the operational management was adequately demonstrated as feasible in the absence of the provision of a designated loading bay off road.