Hotelier Neil Loftus has been granted permission to extend and redevelop Wynn's hotel at 35-39 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, known as an historic city centre meeting place. Edel Morgan reports.

Loftus is extending to the rear and refurbishing the basement of the mid-19th century hotel, which is a protected structure, after his failed bid to purchase the AIB bank next door. He was the underbidder for the bank which sold for €3.3 million. He is also said to have negotiated with CIÉ with a view to expanding into their premises on the other side of the hotel - but to no avail.

His plan is to refurbish the kitchen and staff facilities at basement level, build a goods lift, revamp the ground floor restaurant and kitchen and build a single-storey bar extension and a kitchen extension.

Loftus bought Wynn's after he sold the Clarence Hotel to pop group U2 and is on record as saying that inner city improvement and Luas works have affected business by limiting access to Lower Abbey Street. He was granted permission for the refurbishment by Dublin City Council with 10 conditions, including that an archaeological assessement be carried out before works begin as the hotel lies within a zone of archaelogical constraint for recorded monuments.