Waterford businessman to appeal planning refusal for Dungarvan hotel
Stud farm owner Michael Ryan is to appeal a recent decision of Waterford City and County Council to reject his plans for a 40-bedroom boutique hotel on Davitt’s Quay, Dungarvan.
A well-known West Waterford businessman is to make a fresh attempt to secure planning permission for a new hotel on the quayside in Dungarvan.
Stud farm owner Michael Ryan is to appeal a recent decision of Waterford City and County Council to reject his plans for a 40-bedroom boutique hotel on Davitt’s Quay, Dungarvan.
The businessman wants to construct a seven-storey hotel including a deli/café and food hall on the ground floor as well as a terrace and outdoor seating area along the riverside.
The plans also provide for a bar and restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, which will be located opposite the Árus Brugha hostel to the north of the Devonshire Bridge.
However, the council rejected the plans, claiming the building, which will rise to some 26m in height, would be “excessively domineering from many vantage points over a wide area”.
It also claimed the scale, height and massing of the building would constitute “gross overdevelopment” of the site, while the failure to provide any onsite parking was deemed unsatisfactory.
Council planners said the proposed hotel would also detract from landmark areas of Dungarvan including the historic harbour area.
Consultants acting for Mr Ryan said the boutique hotel on Davitt’s Quay would provide accommodation for the additional tourism generated by the Waterford Greenway in “a landmark building of significant visual interest.”
They claimed the building would support the development of Dungarvan as a key town of significant influence The applicant also claimed there was a current shortage of hotel beds in the town, which meant there was a concerted need for more tourist accommodation in Dungarvan.
Consultants for Mr Ryan estimated that seven establishments in Dungarvan, including two hotels, currently provide a total of 206 guest bedrooms with no four-star or five-star facilities.
In addition, they said the existing building was falling into a visible state of disrepair, while the development of a hotel would result in the regeneration of a brownfield site in Dungarvan town centre.
A ruling by An Bord Pleanála on the appeal by Mr Ryan is due in early October.
The businessman has suffered several setbacks with the planning authorities in recent years over his efforts to secure planning permission for major new developments, including hotels in Dungarvan.
In 2019, An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for an application by Mr Ryan to build a 10-storey apartment and leisure complex on the site of an office block known as “Bridge House” at the junction of Davitt’s Quay and Walsh Street in Dungarvan.
On that occasion, the board said the design, scale and bulk of the development would be out of character with the area.
The board is currently considering a separate appeal by Mr Ryan against revised plans for a nine-storey hotel on the site of Bridge House which was refused planning permission last year on similar grounds.
