The operator of Kildare Village and the Irish arm of Tesco are among the objectors against plans for a six-storey 158-bedroom hotel for Kildare town.
Last month, Murlyn Capital Investments Ltd lodged plans with Kildare County Council for a hotel on a site at the junction of Nurney Road and Monasterevin Road at Kildare, adjoining the Kildare Village site.
A planning report lodged with the application contended that a hotel was “perfect for this site in terms of location and in what it can contribute to the tourism of Kildare Town and surrounding area”.
The report states that the planned hotel would “enhance the opportunity for the town to grow as a tourism destination by providing much-needed additional accommodation, with easy access off the M7 and M8″.
Kildare Village is home to well-known brands such as Armani, Gym+Coffee, French Connection, Jimmy Choo, Boss and Karl Lagerfeld. The operator of Kildare Village, Value Retail Dublin Ltd, has lodged an objection and told the council the hotel “should be refused”.
On behalf of Value Retail Dublin, RMLA planning consultants stated that the scheme was 23 metres in height and represented an overbearing and incongruent urban form when compared to the two-storey Kildare Village complex.
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Tesco Ireland, which operates a so-called superstore adjacent to the hotel site, has also called on the council to refuse permission.
In the objection drawn up by RMLA, it contends that the failure to provide car parking facilities for the planned hotel would “result in an overspill into the surrounding developments including the Tesco and Kildare Village private car parks, which will have a detrimental effect on those existing retail centres”.
In a separate objection, the Monasterevin Road Residents Association has “strenuously” objected to the hotel.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) – which maintains the country’s national road system – said the proposal was at variance with official policy relating to the control of development on or affecting national roads. TII states that a grant of permission would adversely affect the operation and safety of the national road network.
However, the operator of Curragh Racecourse has made a submission to the council supporting the planned hotel.
Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Curragh Racecourse Ltd, stated that “a recurring message we get from our customers, when seeking feedback, is their difficulty in finding accommodation in the locality due to a shortage in availability of beds”.
