Plans for a new hotel in Howth in north Dublin are in doubt after An Bord Pleanála ruled out a contentious new access road to serve the development, even as it gave the go ahead for four storey, 142 bedroom hotel scheme at Deerpark.
The board upheld Fingal County Council’s decision to grant planning permission for the hotel but ordered the access road be excluded.
In July 2023, Fingal Co Council granted planning permission to Tetrarch Capital firm, WHSI UC for the demolition of existing hotel associated structures and construction of a four-storey 142 bedroom hotel.
However, the decision ruled out the planned new access road and reduced the car-park to a 101 space car-park.
In an appeal for WHSI UC, planning consultants, Tom Phillips + Associates contended that the two conditions ruling out the access road and reducing the size of the car-park “will unnecessarily have a significant impact on the viability of the hotel development”.
A spokesman for Tetrarch on Tuesday declined to comment on whether the firm intends to proceed with the hotel scheme in light of the appeals board decision.
Green Party member of Fingal Co Council, Cllr David Healy lodged a third party appeal concerning the planning permission for the hotel scheme which was first lodged with the council in July 2022.
Now, in its ruling the appeals board has given the hotel scheme the go-ahead after concluding that the hotel “would constitute an acceptable level of development in this sensitive location, would respect the existing character of the area and would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area”.
Appeals board inspector, Lorraine Dockery stated that a quality design solution has been put forward for the new hotel will result in an attractive, sensitive addition to the landscape at this location where a contemporary design will replace the existing run-down hotel
The appeals board omitted the access road after Ms Dockery said: “I have concerns that the provision of this roadway would negatively impact on features of heritage value and the overall character and setting of the Howth Castle Demesne.
Ms Dockery added: “I too consider that the subject roadway could create a perception of splitting/fragmenting the open character of the demesne lands.”
Ms Dockery pointed out that the board has also ruled out a new access road for a companion €10 million proposal to transform Howth Castle into a retail, food and tourist destination.
Ms Dockery said that the works required for the road to serve the Deer Park hotel “would result in excessive interventions in the historic landscape, including the loss of mature trees and would impact on features of heritage value to the overall character and setting of the Howth Castle Demesne”.
