New Camden Street hotel for Dublin

Planners have given the go ahead to a multi-million-euro hotel development on Camden Street in Dublin.

Prague-based British developerJonathan Jackson has received the nod from Dublin City Council to go ahead with the 143-bedroom hotel on Camden Street. It will mark the latest addition to Dublin’s city centre hotel scene, which has been booming since last year.

Mr Jackson’s Ireland-registered Southland Property vehicle intends to transform a number of old buildings on the street.

Eight buildings on Camden Street will be used to develop the new hotel. An old chapel on the site will accommodate a hotel restaurant.

While Dublin City Council’s own planning officer has recommended the development for approval, the authority’s own conservation officer opposed it.

She had claimed that the proposed hotel would be “inappropriate to the significance of the site” and its historic streetscape. Some local residents had also opposed the plans.

Southland had proposed a 165-bedroom hotel, but in order to overcome some of the council’s concerns, it reduced the planned number to 143.

“On balance, it is considered that the development of a modern hotel at this location would be a positive addition to the street,” noted the council’s planning officer.

He has attached a number of strict conditions to the hotel development.

Among the directors of Southland is Gary Corrigan. He previously worked as a development and investment manager in Ireland and Russia for Treasury Holdings, the company founded by developers Richard Barrett and Johnny Ronan and which is in receivership.

Prior to that, he was the head of Lidl Ireland’s property team.

Mr Jackson, who was born and raised in Kenya, owns a company in Prague called Lordship. He moved to the city in 1989, having previously worked in the UK.

Dublin hotels enjoyed a strong performance last year and there’s been intense interest in the sector from foreign investors. Last week, European investment firm Patron Capital paid €33m for the Clarion Hotel in the IFSC. The hotel was put up for sale by receivers on behalf of NAMA. Source: Irish Independent