4249/23
PROTECTED STRUCTURE: The proposed development will principally consists of: -a change of use of the existing 5 no. storey over basement building from vacant restaurant, shop and vacant office uses to a hotel; - and the provision of an additional setback fifth floor level (260 sq m), providing a 6 no. storey over basement building comprising 47 no. en-suite bedrooms and ancillary hotel facilities (2,102 sq m). The application principally replicate the recently expired permission for a hotel with the provision of an additional storey as granted under DCC Reg. Ref: 3867/17. The development also proposes: -internal alterations, reconfigurations and refurbishments to facilitate the development; -alterations at basement level including the lowering of the floor level and the provision of toilets, kitchen, staff facilities, hotel management/operational rooms and cycle parking; -alterations at ground floor level and the provision of hotel reception and hotel restaurant/bar; -alterations at first floor level including demolition and extension works and the provision of a landscaped courtyard and 11 no. en-suite bedrooms; -alterations and extensions at second, third and fourth floor levels and the provision of 27 no. en-suite bedrooms; -and new setback fifth floor level and the provision of 9 no. en-suite bedrooms (increasing the building height to 6 no. storeys over basement). Also proposed as part of the development are the following: -alterations to all facades, including provision of new ground floor and first floor level 'shopfronts', change of an existing doorway to window and change of 2 no. existing windows to 2 no. entrances; -removal of existing lift car cage ( to facilitate provision of new lift system, which will extend to basement and new fifth floor levels) and its reuse as a feature in the restaurant/bar; -repair/ renewal of brickworks as required; -signage on Dame Street and Eustace Street facades; -north-facing bedroom balconies; -blue/green roofs; -rooftop plant and lift overrun; and all associated works above and below ground.
Core Refusal Reason
The proposed fifth-floor roof extension is of excessive height, scale, and massing, resulting in an overly dominant and obtrusive form that would be injurious to the historic character of the host building and the visual amenity of the surrounding Conservation Area.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The proposed roof extension constitutes a prominent vertical extrusion with minimal setback, making it disproportionate in scale and massing relative to the host heritage building.
- While the change of use to a hotel is acceptable in principle and does not represent an overconcentration of such uses, the specific design of the additional storey is injurious to the Dame Street streetscape.
- The development would set an undesirable precedent for similar insensitive interventions within the city's sensitive historic core and Conservation Areas.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Decision Document Summary
This Inspector's Report evaluates a first-party appeal by Chambers Properties Limited regarding the refusal of planning permission for a 47-bedroom hotel at 'Shamrock Chambers' (59-61 Dame Street and 1-2 Eustace Street, Dublin 2). The proposal involves a change of use from retail/offices and the addition of a setback fifth-floor roof extension. The site is highly sensitive, located in a Z5 'City Centre' zone, within a Conservation Area, and contains elements on the Record of Protected Structures...PDF Document Missing
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