UK PUB GIANT Wetherspoon has been accused of trying to turn a ‘super-pub’ into a ‘mega-pub’ by planning to reopen a courtyard at its Keaven’s Port hotel on Dublin’s Camden Street.

Last month JD Wetherspoon plc lodged plans for a two inch thick 13-foot high acoustic glass screen that would allow it to re-open a courtyard at the pub.

However, the West of Camden Residents Association, the Grantham Street Residents Association along with individuals are objecting.

On behalf of the West of Camden Residents Association, James Wickham has told the council that the opening of the courtyard would mean that the super-pub would become a mega-pub “which is totally unsuitable to Camden Street’s scale and character”.

A spokesperson for Wetherspoon said: “We are  reviewing the comments made in response to the application. We will work with Dublin City Council to address the concerns raised as part of the application process.”

Wickham says: “We believe that the proposal should be rejected because it intensifies the drinking occupation at Keaven’s Port and exacerbates the destruction of Camden Street as one of Dublin’s urban villages”.

Lamenting the changing face of Camden Street with an increased number of pubs, Wickham said “over the last decade, the street has changed from a village high street to an evening swill pit. Instead of eyes on the street we have urine in the gutter.”

He said: “Instead of tolerating an increasing expansion of drinking establishments, planning needs to facilitate more appropriate uses of the street that will return the street to the city.”

Wickham says that “this required a complete stop to any further expansion of hotels and licensed premises, in particular a halt to the further development of super-pubs such as Wetherspoons”.

He says before and after drinking in Wetherspoons, large crowds of young drinkers congregate on the street.

Wickham said: “Most of us who actually live in the immediate vicinity now avoid the street in the evenings: there is a major public order issue with on-street drinking, even public urination – in side streets, there is open drug dealing.

He said that “the situation on Camden Street, already strained by an over-proliferation of pubs, is exacerbated by Wetherspoons – the expansion of Wetherspoons will only make these problems worse”.

Chairperson of the Grantham Street Residents Association, Niamh Moran has told the Council that the increase in customer numbers is likely to exacerbate issues in relation to public nuisance.

Moran states that “patrons leaving the premises are often loud and abusive. They often discard empty bottles, vomit or urinate in local gardens and cause damage to local property”.

Moran states that “these activities not only degrade the local environment but also create an unpleasant and unsafe atmosphere for residents and other members of the public”.

Moran also expressed concern over increased drug dealing in the area which “appears to be driven by the influx of young patrons seeking a lively night out attracting drug dealers into the area”.

Calling on the Council to refuse planning, Moran contends that the proposal represents an intensification of a pub culture in the area.

Parents of a child attending the nearby D2 Montessori, Naoise McNally and Ronan Lyons strongly urge the Council to reject the application “in the interest of safeguarding our children and the community”.

The couple state: “Before Wetherspoons opened, the street was a safe and welcoming space. Since its opening, however, it has contributed to a decline in safety and public order.”

They state that the application poses serious risks to children and the community as it represents an unnecessary intensification for an already oversized super pub and will further deteriorate a fragile and unsafe environment for children.

In a planning submission, planning consultants for Wetherspoon, Brock McClure contend that the glass screen will result in noise levels being kept within acceptable limits, ensuring a more peaceful living environment for local residents.

They state that the proposed intervention of the glass screen “will allow for the amenity of the courtyard to be reinstated and enjoyed by hotel users and patrons again”.

JD Wetherspoon closed its beer garden at the venue in April 2022 in response to locals’ noise complaints over its operation and the beer garden has remained closed.

Brock McClure state that its closure “has been a considerable burden on the operation of the hotel and bar in economic and business terms”

In 2023, JD Wetherspoon abandoned its contentious plans to erect a 43 ft high sound barrier, dubbed “taller than the Berlin Wall” by one objector, after strong local opposition.

A decision is due on the new application in February.