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A DUBLIN 8 resident has hit out at JD Wetherspoon PLC’s plans to erect a 43 ft high sound barrier for its Keavan’s Port Hotel’s outdoor pub courtyard claiming that what is planned “is taller than the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall of China”.
The UK pub giant is proposing the sound barrier to allow it re-open its beer garden at its so-called ‘superpub’ at its 89 bedroom Keavan’s Port Hotel on Camden Street.
In April 2022, JD Wetherspoon closed down the beer garden temporarily in response to locals’ noise complaints.
Now, in response to the new sound barrier application lodged with Dublin City Council, local resident Suzanne Willoughby has stated that what is planned “is ugly, bulky, overbearing and visually obtrusive”.
Willoughby from nearby Grantham Place, has told the Council “it makes me angry to think that anyone thinks that building a wall which is taller than the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall of China is an appropriate solution to squeezing more punters into the pub”.
The 43 ft height of the sound barrier compares to the 13 ft high Berlin Wall and the average height of the Great Wall of China at 25.6ft but can reach to 46 ft high in places.
In her objection, Willoughby states that “there is no good or pressing reason why this application should be approved. It does nothing to improve our city or the neighbourhood”.
In one of six objections lodged against the planned sound barrier, Willoughby further contends that if allowed “a proposal of this size, scale and type is extremely damaging to our built heritage”.
She said: “I am not aware of any precedent for a wall of this size and type in Ireland, let alone within the curtilage of a Protected Structure. If allowed, the proposal disrupts the setting of this important Georgian Terrace and has a negative impact upon the neighbouring Protected Structures.”
In their objection, James Wickham and Lorelei Harris have told the council it is disputable if the proposed screen will reduce the noise from the inner courtyard of Keavan’s Port pub.
They state: “What is indisputable is that this will create a large new outdoor drinking space in our neighbourhood with all the attendant social issues: noise, crowding, anti-social behaviour and waste management challenges.”
They add: “In addition to this, we, the residents of this area are deeply concerned by the changing nature of our community from a quiet peaceful co-location of residential, commercial and hospitality businesses into an uncontrolled area of late night drinking, stag parties and revelry of a sort that is antithetical to the pursuit of family life.”
Ghandi Mallak operates the Damascus Gate Restaurant on Camden Street and has told the Council that he has has serious concerns about the proposed development.
Mallak stated that he operates an external terrace at his restaurant and has never received noise complaints.
He said that “if someone is getting rowdy and noisy we will ask them to stop. I would not propose to build a huge ugly wall because I do not want or are unwilling or unable to manage my customers? This is a very bad solution”.
Mallak stated that he has operated on Camden Street for many years but “was shocked when Wetherspoons opened at the increased levels of anti-social behaviours including damage to my property, people urinating, littering etc”.
He said: “To some degree these have been a problem in the past as you would expect in an urban location – however the increase was unprecedented when Wetherspoons opened.”
Richard Duggan from Synge Street, behind the pub, has told the council that “the sound emissions when the beer gardens were open previously caused innumerable sleepless nights in my house and several of my neighbours. Its closure has reversed this problem”.
A submission by JD Wetherspoons’s consultants, Brock McClure has stated that the closure of the courtyard demonstrates JD Wetherspoon’s commitment to being a good neighbour and working with residents to resolve issues whenever they may arise.
In a bid to overcome the issue, the hospitality firm employed acoustic experts, Enfonic which has recommended the erection of the 13.2 metre (43.3ft) high and 8.1m (26.5ft) wide sound barrier that will be completed with rockpanel wood panelling.
Brock McClure state that the Enfonic assessment found that “the height of a suitable barrier is critical to its performance and a variety of configurations were considered. It was concluded that a barrier with a height of between 13 metres and 14 metres would provide the required performance”.
In their 26 page planning report, Brock McClure state that “the barrier has been developed to protect all persons who will live, work or engage in other activities in the immediate vicinity of the courtyard from noise disturbance from the outside seating area”.
The report states that particular emphasis has been paid to nearby residential properties surrounding the premises.
A decision is due on the application in July.
Maybe they should knock down all the surrounding houses and extend the beer garden
@Thom Thumb: good suggestion. You can’t have it every way
@Dermott Russell: You can have it every way by respecting both the residential areas which existed long before franchise pubs like Wetherspoons entered Dublin, while still running the hotel as it was originally planned for. Not every street needs to have a Coppers nightclub.
All these young tech couples on a great wage are buying up the local houses that have been surrounded by nightlife as far as I can remember.. Now they’re trying to dictate the goings on at night.. It’s a hotel come pub that actually looks really well and Wetherspoons have done a great job on what was a very run down part of Camden Street..
@Antbony Kearns: Mr. Treehorn draws a lot of water in this town. You don’t draw 5h1t, Lebowski. Now we got a nice, quiet little beach community here, and I aim to keep it nice and quiet.
@Antbony Kearns: That part of Camden Street, Grantham street, Synge Street, and South Circular Road have been long-time residential areas, long before Wetherspoons ‘Super Pub’ took over the homeless hostel that had existed previously. A homeless hostel there would be more beneficial to society than another super-pub trying to become the next Diceys or Coppers. Good on the residents pushing back, we’ve enough soulless hotels and pubs being slapped up around Dublin.
The Green Party, despite advocating for environmental protection, seems to support the idea of twenty-four-hour nightclubs, despite noise being recognized as a form of pollution.
@Paddy Keane: Jaysus, as bad as the Green Party are, ya must have strained your back with that kind of reaching. Everyone pouring out onto the street at 2AM creates far more noise “pollution” than people leaving in drips and drabs.
I know that part Dublin for 40 odd years and it always had night life later then most parts of Dublin,
Unless the wall is blocking out someone’s sunlight, I don’t see what the issue is. Some people are just miserable and want everyone to be home by 9 p.m. You can’t reason with them.
@The Big Baba: based on the pictures it would appear that the 13m wall could indeed be blocking resident’s sunlight
@D. Memery: woke nonsense. Why should residents assume they have a right to sunlight. Weatherspoons performs a necessary function, offering cheap beer to everyone and employs people.
@D. Memery: They were the ones who told him to stick the wall where the sun don’t shine
I don’t care how cheap the beer is, you won’t catch me drinking there. If you love Wetherspoons then you’re a certified West Brit! Just the sight of neatly arranged mustard jars on little square tables gives me the creeps. Give me a messy Irish pub any day.
It does nothing to improve our city ? Eh except act a noise barrier which is what it’s suppose to do ? Our city centre businesses need to shift to provide solutions for noise if we are to move forward and make a proper night time economy a reality
We are pathetic at sorting out , outside spaces in Dublin
Does that mean we’ll have to climb the wall to go to the Jack’s
@noel donohue: Copper Face?
@noel donohue: It’s Wetherspoons, so probably.
Hen Parties got no mention!! Loudest parties of them all!
The Prodigy are playing there next week
Regular pub hours, much ado about nothing.
Ugh imagine living in Dublin and having to deal with shite like this. Just nuke it and be done with it.
@Brian: Where would all the culchies go for work ?
Maurice Glennon: Ffs, the only West Brits are the Welsh. Get a grip.
Holy God
The Berlin Wall gets dragged into it.
Whats next, The Great Wall of China ?
GOOD GRIEF…………………….Next we will have The Donald ranting about the “China Virus”, or as he says “the Chyme-a Virus”
Person Woman Man Camera TV
A stable genius indeed……………
The NIMBY’S are out in force on this article so I’m not sure why the usual clowns on the Journal who don’t live in the area are jumping to conclusions calling it a Copper Face Jacks?
They know nothing about the venue as it doesn’t have a late bar or play music. The local blow-ins who bought houses nearby were offered financial compensation but declined so it has come to building a soundproof wall.
I wouldn’t mind but the few residents who are really affected by the pub live in a small laneway behind it, all in, just about a dozen houses.
In their heads, they’re living in Dublin 4!
Sound barrier… Great idea!
How much is a pint there?
From the people who kicked skateboarders off portobello plaza.. I’m not surprised. Looking for a quiet villlage life in the buzziest part of town. What if they clad that side of the sound barrier with red brick? To tie in with surroundings. They’d still block it, they don’t want anything around. Spoons don’t even play music, it’s just the sound of people talking these residents don’t want. Shuda been told to do one, it was “sound” to offer building the wall. Judge should grant it to go ahead
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