Dublin City Council has refused planning permission to UK pub giant, JD Wetherspoon for contentious plans for 13 ft high acoustic glass that would allow it to reopen a courtyard at its Keaven’s Port hotel on Dublin’s Camden Street.
The Council has refused planning permission at JD Wetherspoon plc after local residents objected, claiming that the application would turn a ‘super-pub’ into a ‘mega-pub’ by reopening the courtyard.
JD Wetherspoon closed its beer garden at the venue in April 2022 in response to locals’ noise complaints over its operation and the beer garden has remained closed.
The 4 metre high acoustic glass screen is the firm’s second bid to address the noise complaints – in 2023, JD Wetherspoon abandoned plans to erect a 13 metre high sound barrier, dubbed “taller than the Berlin Wall” by one objector, after strong local opposition.
The Council has refused planning to the glass screen proposal after concluding that the proposed development would constitute an unacceptable over-development of the open courtyard area to the rear of the Protected Structure at No 3 Camden Street Upper.
The Council concluded that the proposal effectively infills “the remaining open area between the rear elevation of one of the Protected Structures and the modern hotel structure behind”.
The Council states that this would result in causing serious injury to its special architectural character and setting and would contravene policies in the Dublin City Council Development Plan 2022-2028.
The Council concluded that the proposal would set an undesirable precedent for similar type development.
The nine page planner’s report recommending a refusal confirmed that the council’s Environmental Health Officer’s (EHO) report recommends a grant of permission.
The EHO report stated that if the current proposal was permitted acoustic testing must be carried on completion to ensure the efficacy of the works.
Nine objections were lodged against the scheme and in one, local residents, Colm Doyle and Peter O’Reilly contended thatthe arrival of Wetherspoon into the neighbourhood has coincided with an increase in anti-social behaviour in the area.
On the acoustic glass screen plan, the two state that “it seems outrageous that they (Wetherspoon) are now asking Dublin City Council for such a haphazard intervention”.
On behalf of the West of Camden Residents Association, James Wickham told the council that the opening of the courtyard would mean that the super-pub would become a mega-pub “which is totally unsuitable to Camden Street’s scale and character”.
Mr Wickham said: “We believe that the proposal should be rejected because it intensifies the drinking occupation at Keaven’s Port and exacerbates the destruction of Camden Street as one of Dublin’s urban villages”.
Lamenting the changing face of Camden Street with an increased number of pubs, Mr Wickham said “over the last decade, the street has changed from a village high street to an evening swill pit. Instead of eyes on the street we have urine in the gutter.”
He said: “Instead of tolerating an increasing expansion of drinking establishments, planning needs to facilitate more appropriate uses of the street that will return the street to the city.”
Mr Wickham said that “this required a complete stop to any further expansion of hotels and licensed premises, in particular a halt to the further development of super-pubs such as Wetherspoons”.
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon, Eddie Gershon stated: “As you can appreciate, Wetherspoon is disappointed not to be able to proceed at this stage with our plans for the garden area. We will consider the implications of Dublin City Council’s decision and discuss the situation with our planning advisers before making any further comment.”
The company does have the option of appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
