Plans by Harry Crosbie for a new hotel and 200 seater “Baby Vicar” entertainment venue for Dublin’s docklands are facing local opposition.
Residents have lodged objections with Dublin City Council against the plan by Mr Crosbie’s Misery Hill Entertainment Ltd for a four-star, 35-bedroom hotel and “Baby Vicar” venue at Hanover Quay in Dublin 2.
The hotel and venue would be housed in a two-storey glass box designed by PRC Architecture & Planning. The glass cube would “oversail’” the original protected structure at 9 Hanover Quay.
In her objection, resident Dr Heidi Furlong has told the council that the negative consequences from the development would “have a detrimental effect on long established residents’ quality of living but also on rental and sale value of properties in the Grand Canal basin area”.
Nuria Gomez Cadahia, who lives at Longboat Quay South with her husband and their two children, told the Council that “this project will cause significant nuisance to our family and to residents in the area generally and especially for people living in Longboat Quay”.
Ms Gomez Cadahia said that “in my opinion, building such a large complex, right by the water and in front of our doorstep is ludicrous ... Why should local residents suffer from a project that is primarily aimed at business profit”.
In her own submission, Cllr Claire Byrne (Green Party) told the council that “there is a housing crisis in Dublin and it is hard to justify the building of yet another hotel in that context”.
Cllr Byrne said that locals have raised valid concerns over noise and light pollution.
Planning consultant Robert Nowlan has lodged an objection on behalf of 17 residents of Longboat Quay South.
Mr Nowlan said that “our clients are concerned with regards to the proposed increased scale and massing of the development as well as the use proposed as a music venue which would have big noise pollution on adjoining residents”.
Asked to comment on the submissions on Monday, Mr Crosbie said that “the issue of noise is not an issue”.
“We will be installing the latest modern acoustic technology which we already have in place at Vicar Street. You can have a heavy metal band playing at full volume at Vicar Street but they can’t be heard from six feet outside the venue”.
Mr Crosbie said that the new hotel and “Baby Vicar” venue would “become a beacon attracting people into the area”.
A decision is due on the new application in mid-April.
