AN COIMISIÚN PLEANÁLA has refused planning permission to a planned ‘landmark’ luxury boutique hotel for a site at Shelbourne Rd, Ballsbridge in Dublin 4 as the scheme would have a detrimental impact on the historic character of Ballsbridge.

The scheme by Cal Craven’s Badlands Developments Ltd for the six storey 24 bedroom ‘Windjammer’ hotel resulted in widespread local opposition with the Eglinton Residents Association, the Pembroke Road Association, the Herbert Park Residents Association and the Lansdowne and District Residents Association (LARDA) all expressing concerns over the scheme.

In response to the planned hotel on the site of a former Ulster Bank branch for 166a Shelbourne Rd, An Coimisiún Pleanála has refused planning permission as the scheme would have a detrimental impact on the historic character of this area of Ballsbridge in terms of visual dominance and overdevelopment.

An Coimisiún Pleanála also refused planning permission as the development is located on a heavily trafficked road where several roads converge at the Pembroke Road, Shelbourne Road, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge Terrace and Elgin Road junctions and there is limited on-street car parking and set down availability.

The commission stated that as a result, the development would generate excessive dropoffs, servicing activity and overspill parking on the adjacent streets.

The ruling states that the proposed development would, therefore, by itself and by the precedent it would set for other development, seriously injure the amenities of property in the vicinity.

The refusal upholds a planning refusal issued by Dublin City Council last September.

Planning consultant for the applicants, Kevin Hughes stated that the proposal “will deliver a sustainable, high-quality and distinctive addition to the Ballsbridge area, making efficient use of a brownfield site, supporting tourism, enhancing the Streetscape, and contributing to compact urban growth”.

In the first party appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála, Mr Hughes further stated that the proposal “has been conceived from the outset as an exemplar of contemporary urban architecture, designed with the explicit intention of creating a landmark building at a gateway location”.

Mr Hughes stated that the development “as designed by ODOS Architects has been deliberately conceived to stand apart as a distinctive, innovative, and contextually responsive piece of architecture, one that contributes positively to Dublin’s evolving urban identity”.

On behalf of the Lansdowne and District Residents Association (LARDA), chairman, Frank Fitzgibbon told the council that that “the introduction of such a tall building will, as shown by the montages supplied, distract from the overall experience of the village and focus attention on a modern stark building sitting right at its core”.

Mr Fitzgibbon stated that the site is “too small to accommodate a 24 bedroom hotel”.

He said: “Too many developments attempt unsuccessfully to shoe horn the desires of the applicant into unsuitable sites. The building’s dominant position and design will dwarf the substantial bridge at Ballsbridge and remove its historic impact on the look of the village.”