Dublin City Council has roundly rejected plans for a mixed-use scheme on the site of the former Unicorn restaurant on Dublin's Merrion Row.
In September, Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC lodged plans for the demolition of buildings on Merrion Row and Merrion Court, and to construct in their place a four- and five-storey mixed-use scheme of office, retail and restaurant space, along with three residential townhouses.
However, the council refused planning permission after concluding that the scheme would change the urban character and visual amenities of the historic city, would create a precedent for similar developments and would devalue property in the area.
The council refused the scheme on those ground, taking into account the prominent and sensitive location of the site within a conservation area. It also concluded that the proposed new building would be a visually obtrusive and insensitive form of development.
In a separate reason for the refusal, the council said the site already has planning permission for 19 short-term let apartments. It said the proposed office use at upper floor levels would result in potential homes being lost to the residential housing system, meaning less long-term and secure accommodation would be available to the growing number of people who need it.
The planning authority ruled that the scheme is contrary to the Dublin City Development Plan, which seeks to promote a mixed-use land policy in the city centre, including the provision of high quality, sustainable residential development.
The owner of Hugo’s restaurant on Merrion Row, Gina Murphy, had objected to the plan.
Ms Murphy told the city council that the mixed-use plans “would have significant adverse effects on the businesses and neighbouring premises in the surrounding area”.
On Monday, Ms Murphy welcomed the council’s planning refusal, describing it as “a well considered and prudent move.”
She said: “The proposed development would have significantly diminished the retail and cultural value of the area and instead, prioritised other uses such as office space.”
She added: “In the current climate when office space in Dublin 2 is abundantly empty, this proposal was beyond belief. It would have undermined the vibrancy and diversity of the street.”
Ms Murphy said the council refusal not only serves the best interests of preserving Merrion Row’s unique character “but ensures to promote a balanced, thriving urban environment that benefits both businesses and the community”.
In her four-page objection, Ms Murphy told the council that the proposed development threatened “to cast a real and tangible shadow over Hugo’s restaurant and its outdoor dining terrace, significantly reducing the natural sunlight Hugo’s receives".
Ms Murphy, who was a vocal advocate for the restaurant sector during the Covid pandemic, said “the lingering effects” of coronavirus had severely impacted lunchtime trade, and any further disruptions would have the potential “to jeopardise all our businesses and close us down”.
The planning consultant for the scheme, John Spain, told the council that the site was well-placed for a “proposed high quality mixed use development”.
Mr Spain said “the proposed four floors of office use will provide an option for firms who may be seeking smaller, high quality space in the city centre”.
He added that the scheme “also seeks to revitalise and enliven Merrion Court which is currently unwelcoming and untidy”.
Mr Spain said the scheme would introduce “an element of high quality modern architecture to the location” while the proposals “had regard to the use and amenity of neighbouring properties through a sensitive design and layout which also ensures an excellent environment for residents”.
