A company controlled by Emmet O'Neill, nephew of businessman Denis O'Brien, has applied for planning permission to develop a new six-storey hotel on a site beside the fire station in the Dublin suburb of Donnybrook.
The Irish Times reports that Kouchin Holding wishes to tear down the existing structures at 25-27 Donnybrook Road and 1-3 The Crescent and replace them with a venue comprised of 78 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, private dining room and other related facilities.
An investment firm named Partenay, which is also associated with O'Brien, was denied permission to develop a 26-storey glass tower on the site by Dublin City Council in 2004 and again by An Bord Pleanála in 2005. A scaled-back six-storey development plan was subsequently refused permission by An Bord Pleanála in 2007.
Acting on behalf of Kouchin Holding, Hughes Planning and Development Consultants refused to elaborate on the latest proposal for the site and it is currently unknown whether Partenay still has an interest in the property or if Kouchin Holding has since taken ownership of it.
