Proposed Vicar Street hotel meets opposition from Liberties locals

Local community groups have objected to a new hotel being built in Dublin's Liberties.

The Liberties-Rialto branch of the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) has lodged an objection against the proposal for Harry Crosbie to develop a new hotel in this area.

Harry Crosbie is known for his associating with arts and events venues in Dublin, such as the Convention Centre, Vicar Street, 3Arena and the Grand Canal Theatre, as well as the Point Village.

According to the two page objection, the new 182-bedroom Vicar Street building will lead to a further saturation of hotels in the area.

It also claims the plan “represents an intrusion of devotional privacy in regards to the Meath Street Grotto”.

Crosbie’s Vicar Street Hotel Ltd lodged plans for the eight-story hotel on Vicar street back in April. The hotel site is bounded by Vicar Street to the east and Molyneaux yard to the west, lying in close proximity to Crosbie’s Vicar Street entertainment venue.

Planning permission for a hotel at the site had previously been secured, but a planning report lodged with the new application claims it is “not practical to commence and substantially complete the hotel” in the timeframe allowed by the current expiration date of August 25 next.

In its objection, the CATU branch wrote: “we welcome development which prioritises social housing and public facilities, but we cannot support a development which further increases hotel and overpriced student accommodation”.

“This proposal leads to further overconcentration and results in an excessively transient population in the vicinity of the site.”

The objection also points out the sensitive historic area close to Protected Structures, saying that “due to its scale and proximity would detract from the setting of the adjacent statutory Thomas Street & Environs Architectural Conservation Area (ACA)”.

Sinn Féin counsellor Máire Devine raised the concern to the council: “as a Liberties local," she said, "our area is being saturated by hotel developments which is displacing my family and this long-established proud community”.

She added the local authority “must prioritise and protect the gem that is the Liberties”.