An Coimisiún Pleanála approves plans for new 220-bed hotel in Cork city centre

Seán McCárthaigh

Plans for a new 220-bedroom hotel providing budget accommodation in Cork city centre have been given the green light by An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The Commission has granted planning permission for the proposed five-storey hotel with ground-floor café on a vacant site on Fitton Street East, Cork, by development firm Peppard Investments 8 Limited.

Although Cork City Council had granted planning permission for the hotel last May, it had directed that the developer should reduce the height of the building by one storey.

However, Peppard Investments 8 Limited appealed the condition imposing the reduced height of the building to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

In its ruling, the Commission said it would direct Cork City Council to amend the condition relating to the height of the building.

The Commission stated the proposed five-storey development would not have a significant impact on the visual amenities of the South Channel Architectural Conservation Area outside of the immediate views of the area.

Given the wider regeneration and activation that would be achieved with the development of the hotel, the Commission said any visual impact it would create would be “moderate” and not out of keeping with the surrounding area.

Council planners had claimed that a five-storey building would be “visually incongruous” in relation to the local streetscape.

However, the developer had claimed that a five-storey building was the only financially viable option for developing a hotel on the site.

It claimed that the planning condition which would have required the omission of one floor which would have resulted in the number of bedrooms being reduced by 32 to 188, was unjustified.

The developer claimed there was also a lack of budget-friendly accommodation for tourists in Cork city.

A planning inspector with An Coimisiún Pleanála said the hotel would be adequately set back from protected structures in the area including the Holy Trinity Church on Fr Matthew Quay.

The inspector also concluded that the development was on a site ideally suited for regeneration and would not detract from key views across the River Lee.