German Ambassador to Ireland, Matthias Hopfner, has objected to the scale of plans for a proposed 53-bedroom hotel in Dublin city centre.
The plans were originally put forth by developer Paddy McKillen Jnr via his Dale Vision Ltd company in April and involved demolishing the former Howl at the Moon nightclub on Lower Mount Street, which McKillen's Press Up Entertainment group acquired from the Mercantile group in February for €3.2 million.
The plans were approved by Dublin City Council last month, despite objections by An Taisce. However, Ambassador Hopfner submitted an appeal to turn the decision around due to concerns over the sort of impact the new hotel will have on the adjacent German cultural institute.
According to the Irish Examiner, Hopfner hired planning consultants Sheridan Woods to lodge the appeal, which requests that An Bord Pleanála accepts that "the development represents overdevelopment".
The appeal also states that Hopfner "has no issue with the redevelopment of the site nor the proposed use. Our client's issue relates to the extent of the development, its scale and form and its impact on the protected structure at number 37".
A decision on the appeal is expected to be reached in October.
