Developer refused permission for hotel seeks to rezone site

THE developer behind plans for the construction of a new hotel on the Naas Road has requested the rezoning of a site adjacent to Knockmeenagh Lane in Clondalkin for residential use.

In November 2020, hotelier and developer Colm Neville submitted plans for a 242-room hotel on the Naas Road, adjacent to Knockmeenagh, to South Dublin County Council, which the local authority refused permission for.

When the council notified Mr Neville of their decision in July 2021, they stated that, among other reasons, they were refusing permission for the hotel as its nine-storey height, and its location on a site zoned for enterprise and employment use, meant it would be “contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.

Mr Neville submitted an appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the council’s decision, which “cannot reasonably be sustained”, according to the appeal last August. A decision has yet to be made on the appeal.

In his submission on the Draft County Development Plan, Mr Neville said the rear of the Naas Road site, fronting Knockmeenagh Lane, should be rezoned from employment and enterprise use, to instead be zoned for residential use.

According to the submission, the subject site is adjacent to – but separate from – the section of the city that has been earmarked for the large-scale City Edge project and the “main emphasis on EE zoning” within the locality will be within the bounds of City Edge.

The rear of the site owned by Mr Neville, which fronts Knockmeenagh Lane, should be “rezoned to Objective RES”, according to the submission.

“RES zoning on this section of the site will provide an appropriate edge to Knockmeenagh Lane and a land use which is consistent with the existing surrounding developments.”

It is noted in the submission that the rear of the subject site is “surrounded” by residential zoning and if the site is rezoned it could be integrated into the existing Clondalkin urban area.