Dublin City Council's refusal to permit a 25-storey landmark hotel, office and residential building on the site of the Tara Towers hotel on Merrion Road, Dublin 4 has been appealed by Radora Developments to An Bord Pleanála.
In its appeal to the planning board, Radora Developments, controlled by Bernard McNamara and Jerry O'Reilly, says the proposed development is of "outstanding architectural quality" and would involve the demolition of the Tara Towers, a seven-storey hotel built in the 1960s which is "unattractive and dated".
Radora proposed the scheme as part of the second phase of their Elm Park development off the Merrion Road. They are looking to build a 25-storey over double basement block which would reach a height of 100.16 metres (331ft), making it almost twice the height of Liberty Hall in Dublin city centre.
The first nine floors would contain a 156-bedroom hotel and the 10th to 25th floors would comprise a range of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments with winter gardens.
There would also be 918sq m (9,881sq ft) of retail floor space at the ground floor level of the hotel and conference centre. Radora is also looking to knock nine houses on the Merrion Road, including Llandaff Terrace, Llandaff House and St Columcille's House.
Dublin City Council refused permission on the basis of its impact and location in a primarily residential area. It said the excessive height and scale of the 25-storey glazed tower would create overshadowing and overlooking, and said the demolition of Llandaff Terrace, Llandaff House and St Columcille's House, which are located in a residential conservation area, would be contrary to zoning in the Dublin City Development Plan 2005-2011.
In its appeal to An Bord Pleanála, Radora says the regional planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area emphasise "the importance of consolidating the city area" and providing "a high quality built urban environment based on mixed-use settlements". It argues that the proposed development provides a mix of uses that are "compatible with existing uses in the wider area".
Radora claims the building has been designed as a landmark and will provide valuable local facilities and amenities which will be of benefit to the local residents, and complement the emerging character of the area.
It also said that the closest residential properties are located within the Elmpark scheme and the tower is over 75 metres from the nearest property at Dornden Park and Bellevue Court with "no direct overlooking of significance" from the proposed tower to the living accommodation of the nearest existing residential properties. It also says the development doesn't impinge on any protected or listed views or landmarks.
