MORE licensed premises, including "pub-hotels", in the Temple Bar area of Dublin will no longer be approved by the State company which vets applications from developers seeking to qualify for tax incentives.
In a statement yesterday, Temple Bar Renewal Ltd said it had adopted a new set of guidelines for assessing development proposals because it was anxious to ensure that . .. a balanced mix of uses and activities is attained".
The company said additional premises and additional space for the sale and consumption of intoxicating liquor would be "detrimental" to achieving a suitable mix of uses in the area.
"In general, no further applications in respect of buildings or additional floor space for the sale and consumption of intoxicating liquor, except for licensed restaurants and hotels, will receive approval," it said.
Apart from a presumption against further pubs, TBR said it would be prepared to consider applications for a hotel only if the licensed area was "proportionate to its size" and did not include a nightclub or discotheque.
Applications for cultural buildings, hostels, apartments and office/service activities serving primarily the needs of the area will continue to receive approval, as well as restaurants - but subject to certain conditions.
These include a ban on any more restaurants in buildings on Cecilia Street, Cope Street, Crow Street, Crown Alley, Essex Street East, Fleet Street, Fownes Street Upper, Merchants Arch, Temple Bar Square and Westmoreland Street.
According to the TBR, additional restaurants on these streets would be "detrimental to a suit-able mix of uses and activities in those parts of the area which need to be prioritised for ground-floor retail development
The company said it would make every effort to prioritise the development of appropriate scale retail outlets", including newsagents, off-licences and shops trading in antiques, clothes and community-related services.
These are the first development guidelines to be issued by TBR, which was established under the 1991 Temple Bar Area Renewal and Development Act. Chaired by the Lord Mayor, its board includes representatives of local interests and Bord Failte. Its members are appointed by the Minister for the Environment.
TBR is distinct from Temple Bar Properties, which was set up in 1991 to oversee the area's transformation into Dublin's "cultural quarter". TBP has denied that the proliferation of pubs has undermined its "mission".
. A public debate, "Temple Bar - Success or Circus?", is being held on Saturday, May 24th, at the Temple Bar Gallery, starting at 2 p.m. Speakers include Ms Laura Magahy, managing director of Temple Bar Properties, and Frank McDonald, Environment Correspondent of The Irish Times.
