Permission refused for two hotels near Dungarvan town centre

Waterford Council rejected an application by Dublin-based developers Drummer Properties Ltd to demolish a 1970s office block known as ‘Bridge House’.

Waterford Council has refused planning for two hotel developments close to Dungarvan town centre.

The council rejected an application by Dublin-based developers Drummer Properties Ltd to demolish a 1970s office block known as ‘Bridge House’ at the junction of Davitt’s Quay and Richard A Walsh Street and replace it with a nine-storey ‘boutique hotel’ comprising 65 bedrooms, of which 15 would have balconies.

The council ruled that the proposed development, on what is a landmark location, would “constitute a visually dominant and discordant feature” and would be “excessively domineering”.

The council further said the development would “integrate poorly” with surrounding historic buildings and protected structures, detract from architectural heritage and “seriously injure visual amenities”.

The second application, by local-based Bowe, White and Nugent sought usage change for a protected building at 12 Main Street from commercial (florist) to hotel use.

The application proposed to reconfigure the structure for four bedrooms, plus construction of a three-storey structure consisting of 13 bedrooms.

Waterford Council said the “internal remodelling of a protected structure and development of a three-storey structure to the rear is out of character with the architectural style, scale setting and character” of the structure.

The council ruled that the proposed development would “likely set an unwelcome precedent for other protected structures” within what is an architectural conservation area in the town’s historic core and would be “contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.