NOEL SMYTH’S FITZWILLIAM Real Estate has secured the green light for a nine storey 245 bedroom ‘lean luxury’ hotel over Arnotts in Dublin.

Dublin City Council has given the scheme the go-ahead after concluding that the planned hotel “will contribute to the regeneration and will have a positive impact on the surrounding area”.

The Council also stated that the scheme is “unlikely to impact negatively on the amenities of properties in the vicinity”.

The hotel scheme involves a two storey element with set-backs over Arnotts and a three storey element with setbacks over Arnotts multi-storey car-park.

The hotel proposal will involve the demolition and decommissioning of the top three open air levels of Arnotts multi-storey car-park resulting in the removal of 145 car spaces.

Planning documents lodged with the scheme state that Fitzwilliam Real Estate owns Arnotts Store ‘air rights’ allowing the firm to lodge the application for the above Arnotts portion of the scheme.

Planning consultants for the hotel firm, Tom Phillips + Associates have told the Council that it is intended that Ruby Hotels will be the operator of the scheme.

Associate with Tom Phillips + Associates, Síne Kelly has stated that Ruby Hotels are a Munich based hotel group “who host a contemporary, affordable form of luxury style of hospitality”.

Kelly has stated that there are currently 15 Ruby Hotels in operation around Europe and an additional 18 under construction.

She also pointed out that Ruby Hotels “have ‘a lean luxury’ philosophy for streamlining their hotel layouts and space”.

Kelly stated that the partnership between the applicant and Ruby Hotels “has resulted in an enhancement of the hotel overall with all elements now sized accordingly to suit the operations of Ruby Hotels”.

She contended that the proposed development will facilitate the provision of high quality, hotel development with an experienced, dedicated operator whilst significantly improving the character of the area and bringing a partially vacant building at 97 Middle Abbey Street back into full use.

The grant of planning permission follows the Council refusing planning permission to Fitzwilliam Real Estate for a 12 storey 159 unit build to rent scheme on the same site in January after the Council pointed out that there is a general presumption against large scale residential developments which comprise of 100% ‘Built to Rent’ units.

The Noel Smyth firm did have an existing planning permission for a hotel at the site since 2018 but Covid-19 Government restrictions prevented the firm commencing work on the work “in a timely fashion” necessitating the lodging of the new application.