5494/22

Permission is sought for a development which will include : (a) the partial demolition of existing buildings on site including : (i) full demolition of rear two-storey extension and car park fronting Liberty Lane; (ii) removal of external walls at Nos. 3/4 Kevin Street and retention of existing concrete floor plates and support structures (existing ground floor unit of No. 4 Kevin Street will remain untouched); (b) Re-use and incorporation of existing concrete floor plates from ground to second floor levels into the new development consisting of the construction of an 8 storey hotel comprising 81 no. bedrooms, with setback and terraces at third and sixth floors; (c) Provision of an entrance, reception area, lounge, luggage store, W/C, staff break room, stair core, 2 no. lift cores, water storage, service room, switch room, staff bike store, bin storage and 1 no. separate (existing) takeaway unit at ground floor; and provision of bedroom suites, on upper floors with machine room at sixth floor; (d) Provision of car parking garage to rear of development and recessed taxi set down area at ground floor level accessible from Liberty Lane; (e) Permission is also sought for all associated works including boundary treatments, infrastructure, lighting, green-blue roof, foul/surface drainage and site works necessary to facilitate the development.

Refused

Core Refusal Reason

The proposed development would exacerbate an over-concentration of hotels in the area, constitute overdevelopment through excessive height and scale that harms the character of the Conservation Area and the setting of a Protected Structure, and seriously injure the residential amenities of neighboring properties via loss of daylight, sunlight, and overlooking.

Decision Maker's Conclusion

  • The hotel use would undermine the City Development Plan's objective to maintain a dynamic mix of uses, contributing to a saturating over-concentration of visitor accommodation in the southeast quadrant of the city.
  • The height and massing represent an abrupt and insensitive transition in the historic streetscape, failing to respect the character of the Conservation Area or the setting of the adjacent Landmark Pub (Protected Structure).
  • The proposed building would result in significant and unacceptable impacts on the residential amenities of properties at College Court and Liberty Lane by way of overbearance, overlooking, and a substantial reduction in access to daylight and sunlight.

Cited Policies (CDP)

Section 15.14.1 (Hotels and Aparthotels)Policy CEE28 (Visitor Accommodation)Policy BHA 9 (Conservation Areas)Policy BHA 10 (Demolition in Conservation Areas)Section 4.5.3 (Urban Density)Section 4.5.4 (Increased Height)Section 11.5.3 (Conservation Areas)Section 15.4.2 (Architectural Design Quality)Section 15.5.2 (Infill Development)Appendix 3 (Building Height Strategy)Policy SC16 (Building Height Locations)Policy SC19 (High Quality Architecture)Policy SC22 (Historical Architectural Character)

Decision Document Summary

The proposal involved the partial demolition of a 3-storey building at 3-4 Kevin Street and Liberty Lane to facilitate the construction of an 8-storey hotel (later reduced to 6 storeys in a revised appeal scheme). The site occupies a prominent corner in a Z5 'City Centre' zone and falls within a designated Conservation Area, immediately adjacent to the Landmark Pub, a Protected Structure. The Inspector's primary arguments focus on the excessive plot ratio (6.9) and site coverage (100%), which fa...
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