Hoteliers Joe and Margaret Scally have been granted permission to proceed with the construction of a €50 million hotel on the site of the former St. Mary's College in the south Dublin suburb of Donnybrook.
Earlier this year, Dublin City Council refused to grant planning permission for the proposed Donnybrook hotel on the grounds that the proposed hotel did not meet the zoning objective of the 1.2-hectare site because its plans did not set aside 25% of the land for open space and/or community facilities.
Council planners also stated that, due to its height, the proposed hotel would adversely impact the setting of the former college, which is a protected structure, as well as an adjacent terrace of listed buildings.
Appeal And Revised Plans
However, as reported by The Irish Times, the council's decision has been turned around by An Bord Pleanála following an appeal and the submission of revised plans that include increased open space and fewer internal roads.
An Bord Pleanála rejected the advice of its own planning inspector, who recommended that construction of the proposed hotel should not be approved.
An Bord Pleanála stated that it is satisfied that, subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, the proposed hotel will constitute an acceptable quantum of development in an accessible urban location, and that it will not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or the fabric or setting of the original buildings and their historic features.
Proposed Hotel Details
The Donnybrook Hotel will include 169 bedrooms, a spa facility with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a steel and glass orangey that will include a tea room and outdoor terrace.
It will be the first hotel in Dublin operated by The Scallys, who own the Hayfield Family Collection, the portfolio of which includes Co. Cork's Hayfield Manor Hotel and Co. Kerry's Killarney Royal and Great Southern hotels.
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