Aparthotel planned alongside Clerys on Dublin’s O’Connell Street
A 44-unit aparthotel development is proposed within a historic building alongside Clerys on Dublin’s O’Connell Street.
The protected structures from 14-17 O’Connell Street currently house Subway and Circle-K, along with restaurants Encha and Zambrero on the ground floor. The upper four storeys are vacant offices.
The proposal, from a firm called D1 Collection Limited, would change the existing use of part of the ground floor to a reception and coffee shop, replacing Encha. Aparthotel units are proposed for the remaining storeys.
An aparthotel is a tourist-oriented development which consists of small, apartment-like units with alterations to make them appropriate for short-term use, like featuring kitchenettes instead of full kitchens.
Of the 44 units, 32 will have double bedrooms, with nine twin bedrooms and three universally accessible units.
Externally, a number of “minimal, reversible and heritage-led interventions” will take place, according to an architectural design statement accompanying the application.
These include the cleaning and restoration of brickwork, along with an LED lighting system that will illuminate the building at night.
The proposal includes a new lighting system for the historic building
All existing windows would also be retained and repaired where possible, with original timber sashes also refurbished, repainted and sealed “in accordance with best conservation practice.”
"These external works will not only improve the physical condition of the structures, but also reinforce their role within the historic city core and contribute positively to the renewal of the O’Connell Street Lower streetscape,” the design statement reads.
It notes the nearby sustainable travel modes, citing the Luas lines, bus routes, and walkable surroundings.
"This context reinforces the site’s suitability for a city-centre aparthotel development, oriented toward walkability and public transit access,” it reads.
In line with this thinking, the development provides no car parking, but has space for eight bikes to be stored in the rear laneway for staff.
The development would also contribute to a sense of safety on the street, said the document, pointing to the 24/7 nature of tourist accommodation and the accompanying passive surveillance.
A coffee shop and reception area is planned on the ground floor
An architectural heritage impact assessment from David Slattery Conservation Architects conceded that office and residential use was the zoned objective for the current city development plan.
Despite this, it said the short-term use proposed would nevertheless be a “much-needed opportunity for the protected structure”.
“It will guarantee an intensity of use that would profoundly enhance defensibility on what is arguably the most significant street in the state,” the report read.
It urged planners to give the proposal “favourable consideration in light of the desperate context of O’Connell Street and the relatively minor alterations proposed.”
In a pre-planning meeting, the applicant initially put forward a 60-unit aparthotel proposal with two additional floors on the existing building.
However, this was received poorly by the council’s senior planner, in light of the building’s protected structure status, thereby leading to the omission of the extra floors in the final submission.
The design statement also said the council “noted” a policy preference for long-term residential use over aparthotel developments within heritage contexts.