Bid to demolish La Touche withdrawn
AN application to demolish and replicate the former La Touche Hotel has been withdrawn.
There is a valid permission in place to convert the old building into five terraced houses with 22 modern houses built into the grounds. However, Wicklow County Council awaits a conservation plan before the developer is permitted to proceed with the project.
‘ The La Touche Hotel, the most prominent building in Greystones, is a terrible mess and getting worse recently,’ said Cllr Derek Mitchell.
‘ There have been so many plans for it over the years but it just keeps getting worse.
‘It is dangerous as it is easy for people to get inside,’ said Cllr Mitchell. He said that fire damage has rendered the premises unsafe.
He has written to Dundalk-based Crimson Lane Limited asking developers to come to meet the local councillors. ‘We are all keen to know what is happening and to insist on progress,’ said Cllr Mitchell.
The application to demolish the building in its entirety and to build a replica of the facade was made in November.
The derelict building has been a protected structure, and laterly a protected building within a conservation area.
The application sought the removal of the four-storey former main La Touche Hotel building in entirety and its replacement with a replica building with ‘generally identical facades’.
The plans include 10 apartments, four of them two-bedroom, and six of them three-bedroom.
The previously granted application sought five four-bedroom four storey town houses within the retained shell of the building.
Last July, owners cleared out some of the contents of the hotel, including fixtures and fittings and carpets, with their planning permission yet to kick in.
The planning permission that stands includes the retention of the older building and
The owners have permission to demolish extensions and newer parts of the building, with a number of conditions including a construction management plan.