A 463-BED TOURIST hostel in Dublin’s south inner city has been refused planning permission by Dublin City Council.

Balrath Investments ULC sought permission for the development at No 1-4 Camden Street Lower, sharing the corner with Montague Street, across the road from Whelan’s and Ryan’s Bar. The building is a protected structure and is currently in use as a gym and a Fresh supermarket.

The company sought to change the use of the building to develop a 463-bed space tourist hostel and retail unit. The development would have added an additional two floors to the building.

Planning firm Tom Phillips and Associates, acting on behalf of the applicant, said:

“The proposal will create a high-quality development to renew and realise the potential of the existing building while activating the surrounding streets and laneways through a new sustainable and adaptable structure that will comprise a 463 no. bedroom hostel with a ground floor café and retail unit.

The proposed hostel will be of a high quality, upmarket facility that will fill the existing void of this type of hostel accommodation in Dublin City.

A number of local residents and residents’ groups from the surrounding area raised concerns in third-party submissions to DCC. 

In one submission, James Wickham, chairperson of the West of Camden Residents Association, raised concerns about an over-provision of tourist accommodation in the area and the potential loss of the gym and supermarket.

In a separate submission, Niamh Moran, of the Grantham Street Residents’ Association, raised similar concerns, and said that the development represented “race to the bottom”.

The application represents a race to the bottom in planning standards, prioritising transient and poor-quality tourist accommodation over sustainable, mixed-use developments. It risks undermining Camden Street’s role as a vibrant urban village and poses significant risks to residential amenity, heritage conservation, and public realm quality.

DCC decision 

DCC agreed with its planner’s assessment in deciding to refuse permission for the development. 

The council said that the scale of the proposed development would “be overbearing on the protected structure, and would seriously injure the special architectural character, setting, significance, and legibility of the area”.

It said the hostel would be “incongruous with the established streetscape of Camden Street Lower” and would be too high. The council also said that the proposed change of use would did not accord with proper planning and sustainable development in the area. 

Balrath Investments ULC was previously granted permission earlier this year for a 273-bed tourist hostel on Drury Street. 

The company is controlled by Eamon Waters, the waste entrepreneur. Waters sold his company Beauparc, which included Panda Waste, in 2021 for a reported €1.4 billion, and has since been involved in various investments in hotel, student and hostel accommodation in Dublin.