Hotel operator, Premier Inns has lodged plans for a 162 bedroom hotel for the Sandyford Business Park and is to expand further in Dublin and beyond over the coming years.
PI Hotels and Restaurants Ireland Ltd has lodged the planning application for the Premier Inns eight-storey hotel, with setbacks, for Arkle Rd, Sandyford Business Park.
A planning report lodged with the application to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Co Council states that Premier Inns “aims to continue its expansion in Dublin and beyond over the coming years, providing much needed quality, yet affordable, visitor accommodation for business travellers and tourists alike”.
Whitbread is the owner of Premier Inns, the UK’s biggest hotel brand and the report by planning consultancy, Tom Phillips + Associates states that Premier Inns opened its first hotel in Dublin city centre on South Great George’s Street in November 2021 after a €19 million redevelopment of a historic and long-vacant site.
The report states that “a further four hotels in Dublin City have since followed located at George’s Street, Newmarket Square, Castleforbes and Gloucester Street South”.
Associate at Tom Phillips + Associates, Sine Kelly adds: “In addition, construction is underway for a new Premier Inn at Twilfit House, at Middle Abbey Street. Premier Inn recently opened its first hotel outside of Dublin in Cork City earlier this year.”
Advancing the case for the planned hotel, Ms Kelly states that the proposed development will deliver 162 hotel bedrooms “in a strategic, well-connected location in Sandyford Business Park that is proximate to a number of transport networks, including the Luas, multiple bus routes and the M50″.
She states that the proposal represents a positive planning scenario, “providing contemporary hotel accommodation on a site situated amongst office, residential and commercial uses in Sandyford Business District, a prominent economic hub and commercial area located in south Dublin”
Ms Kelly that the proposed hotel’s location in the heart of Sandyford “will be attractive to the wide variety of companies located in the business park by significantly improving the offer of accommodation for business travellers”.
Ms Kelly states that the hotel will also be appealing to visitors of south county Dublin, who may want to travel further southeast and across the wider Leinster region.
Ms Kelly states that since a planning refusal for an office development on Arkle Rd in 2008 infrastructural improvements have been instrumental in enabling the district to support significant development and other applications for large scale development lodged in Sandyford.
Ms Kelly states that as such, the issues raised in that refusal for development on the subject site are no longer relevant.
She stated: “These improvements have solidified Sandyford Business District’s role as a central hub for economic growth, employment, and associated development.”
A decision is due on the application next month.