Tetrarch seeks permission for 142-bedroom hotel at Howth Castle estate

Irish property investment group Tetrarch Capital has submitted a planning application for a new 142-bedroom hotel on the site of the former Deer Park hotel in Howth, which shut in April 2014.

The new hotel forms part of Tetrarch’s wider plans for the 191-hectare (472-acre) Howth Estate, which it owns, and follows on from its application in January 2022 with the Michael J Wright Group for a major conservation and investment plan to convert Howth Castle into a hospitality destination in north county Dublin.

Since June, all of the bedrooms of the former Deer Park hotel have been used to provide accommodation for more than 150 Ukrainians who have fled the war with Russia. The facility is due to house the Ukrainian refugees until the end of this year.

Under Tetrarch’s plan, the existing building would be demolished and replaced by a new four-storey hotel, designed by Hopkins Architects, with 170 car-parking spaces.

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The new hotel would include a rooftop restaurant, bar and terrace, a spa, fitness centre and swimming pool, as well as extensive conference, and event facilities. It would have views over Howth Harbour and Ireland’s Eye as well as Dublin Bay.

Tetrarch expects 280 full- and part-time jobs to be created at the hotel once it is fully operational. Subject to planning approval, construction is expected to begin in 2023 with the aim of the hotel opening in 2025.

Tetrarch has also submitted a proposal to Fingal County Council to rezone a parcel of land at the Howth estate for affordable housing and senior living accommodation as part of the local authority’s draft development plan.

Tetrarch said it is also formulating plans for an 18-hole championship golf course adjacent to the hotel.

A new public park overlooking Howth Harbour and Ireland’s Eye and the creation of a so-called green corridor for the use of hotel guests and local residents are other elements of Tetrarch’s plan for the estate. If delivered, this would increase the number of access points to the estate and provide 6km of new paths, trails and cycleways.

Commenting on its plan, Tetrarch chief executive Michael McElligott said: “The new hotel is a very important element of our plans for the regeneration of Howth Estate. It will provide top-class amenities and facilities that can be used by the local community and ties in with our vision of creating a major tourist destination for Howth, which, at one time, had four hotels but now has none.”

He added that enhancing the estate’s greenways and parklands was an “integral element” for the estate. “This is about creating a sustainable future for Howth Estate that will benefit everyone,” he said.