Dublin City Council and An Bórd Planeála reject plans for Kilmainham hotel development

An Bórd Planeála(ABP) have rejected appeals from Ladas Property Company Limited for an 80-room hotel at 30 Old Kilmainham, Kearn’s Place, Kilmainham. 

Dublin City Council originally rejected the proposals in January of this year, only for the developers to appeal the decision to ABP. Both the council and ABP cited the proposed hotels’ location on ‘Flood Zone A’, a flood plain along the river Camac. 

As well as the risk of flooding, councillors cited noise and light pollution, as ample reason not to allow the development take place. It should be noted that the current site has been designated for housing, and while it is on a flood plain, it is believed that with protective measures in place, and with less space used, housing developments can be realised without the risk of flooding. 

As part of ‘Project Ireland 2040’, the government have established the ‘River Camac Flood Alleviation Scheme’, which aims to alleviate the areas surrounding the river, which runs from Saggart Hill through the city to Hueston Station, from flood risks. 

Aside from the site in question at Kearn’s Place, it has become apparent that residents are hoping for redevelopment of an area stricken with dereliction, and that the decision to forego plans for a new hotel could be intrinsic to the revival of a cultural hotspot within the city. 

The Green Party’s Michael Pidgeon, South-West Inner-City councillor, celebrated the decision and was particularly critical of the number of hotels built in Dublin 8 in his analysis of the decision, whilst also highlighting the issues of traffic, noise and light pollution that a hotel of this scale would bring in a largely residential area. 

In their response to the appeal, Stephen Boahn, on behalf of APB, stated how the Board “is not satisfied that the development appropriately mitigates the risk of flooding on the site and the development would not give rise to a heightened risk of flooding either on the proposed development site itself, or on other lands. It is considered that a development of this scale on this site is premature pending the outcome of the Camac River Flood Alleviation Scheme”. 

Plans for the vacant site are yet to be made following the decision to reject the construction of a hotel.