4899/23
PROTECTED STRUCTURE: The proposed development will consist of: The demolition of the existing buildings at Nos.. 38-43 James's Place East. The construction of a part 4, part 5 part 6 and part 7 storey Hotel building over basement level on the site to the rear of Nos. 37-43 Mount Street Upper fronting onto James's Place East; • Change of use of No. 38, 39 and 40 Mount Street Upper from office to hotel use and associated changes to layout to accommodate the change of use; • The hotel will provide for a total of 300 no. guest rooms and will have an overall floor area of c. 11,550sq.m within the new build development, and 1,540sq.m within Nos. 38, 39 and 40 Mount Street Upper; • Provision of a glazed link and bridge from the rear of Nos. 38 and 39 Mount Street Upper to the proposed hotel building at ground floor level; • Provision of 2 no. platform lifts to the front of No. 38 and 39 Mount Street Upper; • Provision of a glazed link and bridge from the rear of No. 38 and 39 Mount Street Upper to the proposed hotel building at ground floor level; • Provision of a multi-use school space (c. 180sq.m at ground floor level within the hotel building fronting James's Place East; • Provision of an arts/cultural space (c. 130sq.m at lower ground floor level within No. 38 Mount Street Upper; • Change of use of Nos. 37 and 41 Mount Street Upper from office to residential to provide 8 no. 1 bed apartment units and 1 no. 3 bed apartment unit and 1 no. 4 bed apartment unit; • Conversion of the existing mews building at No. 50 James's Place East (to the rear of No. 50 Mount Street Upper) to a residential dwelling (2 no. bedrooms); • Construction of a 3 storey residential building to the rear of No. 47 Mount Street Upper fronting onto James's Place East to provide for a total of 2 no. 2 bedroom apartment units; • Construction of a 3 storey residential building located between the rear of No. 50 Mount Street Upper and the rear of No. 50 James's Place East to provide for a total of 1 no. studio unit and 2 no. 2 bedroom apartment units; • Provision of a park within the grounds of Nos. 33-34 Mount Street Upper; • Provision of bicycle spaces to serve the proposed development and; • All ancillary landscaping, boundary treatments, associated infrastructure, and site development works to support the development.
Core Reason for the Refused Part
The Inspector recommended a split decision: granting the residential conversion and mews elements as they support urban regeneration, but refusing the hotel component due to excessive height, scale, and massing that would materially injure the character of the Protected Structures and the Conservation Area while also negatively impacting neighbor amenities.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The residential conversion of the Protected Structures and the construction of lower-scale mews dwellings are acceptable as they promote compact growth and reinvigorate the Georgian core of the city.
- The proposed 300-room hotel represents over-development; its height (up to 7 storeys/25.9m) is significantly out of scale with the historic context and would create a visually obtrusive and dominant feature that fails to respect the sensitive character of the area.
- The hotel element would cause detrimental impacts on the residential and educational amenities of neighboring properties, specifically through overbearing effects, overlooking, and overshadowing of the adjacent school (Scoil Caithriona) and surrounding office/residential blocks.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Decision Document Summary
The proposal consists of a large mixed-use development on a 0.49-hectare site in Dublin 2, involving the demolition of existing office/outbuildings and the construction of a 300-room hotel (part 4 to 7 storeys) alongside the conversion of several Protected Structures on Mount Street Upper into residential apartments. The Inspector supports the residential component, viewing it as a positive step toward increasing residential density in the city center. However, the hotel development is identifie...PDF Document Missing
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