Update: Cork hostel developer told to the remove top floor of its Grand Parade development

A London property firm has secured planning permission for a new hostel on Cork’s Grand Parade.

Update: Cork hostel developer told to the remove top floor of its Grand Parade development

Update: Planners in Cork City Council have told a UK property firm that they must remove the top floor of their planned six-storey hostel development on Cork's Grand Parade.

Westhill, through an Irish subsidiary Bluescape Limited, has secured permission to redevelop the former tourist office at 40-42 Grand Parade.

The development was to provide 246 hostel bed spaces in 48 rooms over six floors.

The development called Tourist House will also include a ground floor bar and a rooftop terrace.

The decision adds to a significant number of hotels, hostels, and budget accommodation in the city that are already under construction or awaiting approval.

The Dean Hotel by Clarendon and Bam is set to open this year while the Dalata Group opened a new Maldron hotel on the city’s South Mall in December 2018.

However, Westhill says Cork still lags behind other cities and regional towns for hotels and budget accommodation.

“Cork has significantly fewer hotels than Galway and only three more than Limerick.

“In terms of hostel accommodation specifically, the outlook is similar.”

The company’s application for a hostel in Cork was met with some opposition.

Casey’s Furniture store said it welcomed the redevelopment of the site as a hostel but said it had serious concerns about the proposed ground-floor bar.

It said there are nine bars within 200m of the site and if the hostel bar was to proceed, it would result in a “serious over-predominance of bars within an area close to the primary retail area of the city”.

Another landowner said the height of the planned hostel would “obliterate” light to neighbouring properties.

However, planners in Cork City Council have granted permission for the development. One of the planning conditions requires them to remove the top floor of the planned development in the interest of visual aesthetics and integration with the existing environment.

Westhill must also install windows facing onto the narrow Rochford Lane running alongside the building where the bar will be located to improve vibrancy and surveillance of the area.

Last year, Westhill secured planning permission from Dublin City Council to build on Usher’s Quay developing 27 apartments alongside commercial space.

The site was subsequently put for sale with agent Knight Frank guiding at €2.75m.

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