JOHNNY RONAN’S €50M ENNISKERRY HOTEL PLAN REFUSED GO-AHEAD
LOCALS CONCERNS OVER 141-BED ENNISKERRY HOTEL
DEVELOPER Johnny Ronan has suffered another planning blow after Wicklow County Council refused planning permission for his planned €50m ‘sports’ hotel.
The decision follows on from last month’s decision by Dublin City Council to refuse planning for Mr Ronan’s 22-storey Aqua Vetro tower on Dublin’s George’s Quay.
The plan by Mr Ronan’s RGRE J & R Valery Ltd involved a 141-bedroom hotel at St Valery’s, Enniskerry, marketed towards the sports tourism sector with a particular emphasis on cycling.
It consisted of a four-storey over-basement hotel including a restaurant, bar and café area complete with 160 car parking spaces, one coach parking space and 20 bicycle parking spaces.
As part of the planning ap- plication cyclist Sean Kelly had lent his support to the hotel, which offered to display his trophies and medals there once built.
Seven submissions in respect of the application were received by Wicklow County Council, with all bar one being against the development.
The submissions came from: Deborah Morgan; Helen McDermott; Richard Webb; Eric & Cara Culliton; W.B & M.M Somerville; Enniskerry Trader; J. P. Culliton.
WB and MM Somerville told the council that they are objecting to the plan having regard to the scale, seize and height of the hotel.
Eric and Cara Culliton said the development ‘would ruin our existing level of privacy as we will be overlooked and destroy our scenic views forever’.
In her objection Deborah Morgan said the site is ‘ the one of last bastions in Wicklow and Ireland of the extremely endangered red squirrel’. She also said that there are at least two breeding pairs of Grey Herons nesting in the trees to the west of the site’.
In his submission JP Culliton said ‘ the sight lines are seriously inadequate and is a very real danger to pedestrians, cyclists, cars, trucks and buses’.
He said the gardai could confirm the ‘extraordinary number of accidents’ at the 21 Bends every year.
Helen McDermott raised concerns about the loss of privacy, noise level, negative visual impact and the detrimental impact on the character of the area.
In his objection Richard Webb said ‘ the mass and bulk of the building as well as the choice of finishes is inappropriate in a rural area.’
But the Enniskerry traders lodged a submission in support of the proposal saying that the plan will be hugely beneficial to the community and will showcase the beauty of the area. They said it would have a ‘very positive impact on all local traders in the area and the local economy.
‘ The proposed offering will bring tourists to the area and will add to the economic buoyancy of the Enniskerry and Co Wicklow economies in the future. This will give Enniskerry and the greater Wicklow area a tourism offering it currently doesn’t have and greatly needs.
However, the council refused planning permission on two grounds, saying that the proposal, because of its scale and bulk, would be an intrusive feature and would impact on views from the N11 to St Valery’s and be detrimental to the visual amenities of the area.
The council also said the development of the hotel would be premature pending the determination by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) of a road layout for the area saying it would materially contravene the County Development Plan which ‘seeks to ensure that development will be suitable restricted to support future major road improvements.
The decision will result in the loss of 120 potential jobs if it not overturned on appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
A previous hotel proposal was turned down for the site but Mr Ronan’s architects stated that bulk and massing of the new proposal had been significantly reduced.
In January planner’s report by the council had recommended refusal. However, Mr Ronan’s firm obtained a six-month extension to allow him time to meet the council’s concerns.