La Touche Hotel’s redevelopment plans ‘cautiously’ welcomed

A planning application to redevelop the former La Touche Hotel in Greystones Co Wicklow, has been given a cautious welcome by local politicians.

The former seaside hotel described as “the most prominent building in Greystones” closed its doors in 2004.

In 2005, planning permission was obtained to develop a new hotel and 85 apartments on the site.

However the development never took place and a receiver was appointed by AIB in 2008.

In April 2013, the hotel, which had been subject to arson and dereliction, was delisted from Wicklow County Council’s record of protected structures; although, elected members agreed the facades of the building should be retained as part of an area of architectural conservation.

The former hotel was sold last year by AIB and Nama, which held multi-million euro loans on the property and some adjoining houses that had been brought into the site.

On December 23rd, a new application for planning permission for 26 houses of three and four storeys in the shell of the old hotel and 58 car spaces, has been announced on site notices by a company called Kavere La Touche.

According to the site notice, the application included the demolition of some ancillary buildings, but the retention of an old bank building at the northwestern corner of the site.

It also included the development of 1,000 square metres of commercial space behind the facades of two cottages on Marine Terrace, at the southern side of the site.

News of the planning application was given a cautious welcome by local Independent councillor Tom Fortune, who campaigned against the delisting of the former hotel from the record of protected structures.

“As long as the new development conforms to the protection we have placed on the original building, then it should be ok”. Mr Fortune said.

Local Fine Gael councillor Derek Mitchell said the former hotel was the most prominent building in Greytones, but had been derelict for more than 10 years. “I welcome much needed progress on the site it’s been a long time coming. The bank, used recently as a restaurant, was the first purpose built bank building in Ireland”, he said.

Both councillors said they would like to see the detail of the commercial proposals for the site.

In a submission to the County Council, An Taisce’s Ian Lumley said the hotel had been built circa 1900 to designs by McCurdy & Mitchell following the arrival of the railway.

The submission remarked: “this building urgently requires new uses to be identified to prevent further deterioration of its character”.