People Before Profit in Dublin South Central today expressed “anger and regret” at the decision by An Bord Plánála to grant planning permission for an 8 storey hotel to Harry Crosbie of the Vicar Street venue.
Bríd Smith TD and local councillor Tina MacVeigh lodged an objection to the application earlier this year on foot of widespread outrage from local residents to the proposed development.
Responding to the granting of the planning permission, Bríd Smith TD said:
“This is typical irresponsible planning by the authorities. The last thing Dublin 8 needs is another hotel. Dublin 8 has been saturated with hotel, apart-hotel and luxury student accommodation. What the area needs is sustainable community housing and green spaces. And in the midst of a housing crisis there has been no public housing development in the Liberties/ Dublin 8 area. The Liberties, the last piece of “old Dublin” is about to be ruined. Harry Crosbie’s Rock’n’Room Hotel will set the standard in both height and acceptability for this area for decades to come.”
People Before Profit representatives for a long time have been engaged in community-led campaigns to demand public housing, sporting facilities and green spaces for an area with the lowest green density in the entire city. Local people have said they will continue to fight for their community needs and will not be pushed around by planners who put the needs of business before the community.
Councillor Tina MacVeigh slammed the decision and said “The Liberties and the Dublin 8 area are being corporatised at the expense of one of the oldest communities in the city. Developers and big businesses are being given free rein to take a wrecking ball to our inner city neighbourhood while communities are left to fight tooth and nail for the basic amenities that makes our inner city vibrant, diverse, inclusive and sustainable. I am horrified at this planning decision which sets a disastrous precedent for our city. When will this end? Residents are outraged. Instead of swathes of hotels and not-fit-for- purpose student accommodation, people in Dublin 8 want homes, amenities and schools. What’s next for Dublin 8? The outrageous Shared Accommodation schemes? This Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil government are destroying our community and our city, creating the ghettos of the future and leaving yet another mess for ordinary people to clean up.”
