InvalidRetentionDecided 26 May 2021

Tara Towers Hotel and ancillary car park on Merrion Road and Bellevue Avenue, Dublin 4

Retention of internal and external alterations to a hotel and apartment development.

2742/21 · Dublin City Council · Lodged 7 May 2021

Reference: 2742/21
Authority: Dublin City Council
Register status: Decided
Type: Retention Permission
Received: 7 May 2021

Summary

AI-generated

Retention permission is sought for internal and external alterations to a previously permitted hotel and apartment block development. Changes include reconfiguring stair/lift cores, ground floor layouts, basement plant areas, and reducing car parking spaces from 138 to 127.

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Generated from the description above by an AI model and may contain mistakes. The council’s description is the authoritative record.

Official record

Development description

Retention: retention permission is sought for internal and external alterations to the development as commenced under dcc planning ref. 3608/17, as subsequently amended by dcc planning ref. 2912/20. Retention permission is sought for the following internal and external alterations to the permitted hotel and apartment block (block
Fronting the northern side of bellevue avenue: (a) reconfiguration of stair/lift cores, including the provision of an additional emergency exit route from the north-eastern staircore at ground floor level together with internal alterations to the layout of the ground floor of the permitted hotel to include amendments to the configuration of the lobby, ancillary office, restaurant, bar, kitchen and waste management areas, staff changing rooms, toilet facilities and 4 no. Meeting rooms and the provision of a new conference lobby area and 2 no. Storerooms; (b) reconfigured basement and ground floor car park layout resulting in a reduction of the permitted car parking spaces from 138 no. Spaces to 127 no. Spaces – a reduction of 11 no. Hotel car parking spaces. Alteration of plant and bicycle storeroom(s) configuration; (c) reconfiguration of the residential entrances / lobbies at the south-western and south-eastern corners of the building at ground floor level and alteration to the permitted emergency/fire exits, esb substation and switch room; (d) alteration to the layout/configuration and floor areas / sizes of 25 no. Apartments on the upper floors (first to sixth floor levels) to include unit no’s c1-10; a1-2; a1-4; b2-2; b2-3; a2-2; a2-3; c3-1; c3-2; c3-3; c3-5; b3-3; a3-2; a3-4; c4-1; c4-2; b4-4; b4-5; a4-2; a4-3; a4-4; a5-2; a5-4; a6-2 and a6-3; (e) alteration to the layout/configuration, floor areas / sizes and unit types of 5 no. Apartments to include a change of unit no’s. C1-11 and c2-11 from 1-bedroom units to studio units; change of unit no. B4-2 from a 2-bedroom unit to a 3-bedroom unit; change of unit no. B4-3 from a 2-bedroom unit to a 1-bedroom unit and a change of unit no. B4-4 from a 1-bedroom unit to a 2-bedroom unit; (f) alteration to the layout and configuration of the residential stair/lift core, lobby and the permitted communal rooftop terrace at the south-eastern corner of the apartment block, including a reduction to the permitted area of the rooftop terrace from 160 sq. M to 120 sq. M at rooftop level of the permitted residential apartment block. The aforementioned alterations to the permitted floor plans result in the following associated external alterations: (i) revised entrance configuration and fenestration pattern to the eastern, southern/western and northern/western elevations together with alterations to permitted balconies and a change of metal balustrading to glazed balustrading throughout; (ii) alterations to the western, eastern and southern elevations of the permitted residential rooftop lift/lobby area through the omission of the permitted double doors to the eastern and western elevation and the provision of 2no. Double doors to the southern elevation opening onto the communal rooftop terrace; (iii) alteration to the permitted perforated brickwork pattern at ground floor level to the northern elevation and the introduction of aluminium louvred screens together with the introduction of a new emergency exit door at ground floor level; (iv) reduction in western setbacks at 3rd floor level from 4.6m to 3.4m and at 4th floor level from 4.75m to 4.05m resulting in a commensurate increase to the permitted floorplates at these levels due to the introduction of a car park ventilation shaft and the provision of louvred screens to the southern and northern elevations of the building at 4th floor level. Other external alterations to the hotel and apartment block (block
Fronting the northern side of bellevue avenue for which retention permission is sought, include: (vi) alterations at rooftop level (5th floor level) to provide additional services over-runs and automatic opening vents (aovs), and an increase to the finished height of 2 no lift over-runs from a permitted +21.525 level to a finished +21.850 level; (vii) amendments to finished floor levels (ffls) at ground to sixth floor levels together with a slight increase in the finished parapet level from level +27.425m to +27.430m; (viii) alteration to staircase from ground floor level to podium level along the southern elevation; (ix) extension of the permitted private rooftop terrace of residential unit a5-4 at fifth floor level from 28.5 sq. M to 50.7 sq. M primarily through an increased depth in a northerly direction. Retention permission is sought for the internal reconfiguration of the ground floor entrance / lobby and lift/staircore (from ground to rooftop level) together with alterations to the layout/configuration and floor areas / sizes of all the permitted apartments within block 2 fronting the southern side of bellevue avenue. Associated external alterations to block 2, include: (a) alterations to north and south facing balconies at first to third floor levels; (b) reconfiguration of recessed windows and associated changes to the fenestration pattern to the eastern elevation; (c) alteration to fenestration pattern to southern elevation at ground to third floor levels. Other external alterations, include: (d) revised location and configuration of ancillary cycle storage and bin store at ground floor level to the rear of the block; (e) omission of previously permitted low-level brick boundary wall to the front and replacement with slatted aluminium screen; (f) raising of finished floor level (ffl) at ground floor level from level +4.6 to +4.875 together with resultant increases to ffl's at first, second, third and finished parapet level of apartment block and reduction to height of previously permitted parapet wall at rooftop level; (g) provision of rooftop plant (heat pumps, pv panels and automatic opening vent (aov)) and increased finished height of lift over-run from a permitted +17.650 level to a finished +19.028 level

Land-use zoning

What this land is zoned for

Z1: Sustainable Residential NeighbourhoodsRS

“To protect, provide and improve residential amenities.”

National zoning type: Existing residential

Objective set by the Development Plan 2022-2028 (2022–2028). The planning authority decides each application on its own merits — this is the zoning context, not a compliance assessment.

Read the zoning objectives in the development plan

Built & sold

What happened next

Beyond the decision: whether this development was built, and what property here has sold for.

Recent sales nearby

within 500 m

Residential Property Price Register sales within 500 metres of this site
Address	Date	Price	Distance
221 Llandaff Terrace, Elm Park, Merrion	Jan 2026	€790,000	45 m
219 Llandaff Terrace, Merrion Road, Dublin 4	Jan 2025	€1,050,000	53 m
25 Bellevue Court, Dornden Park, Booterstownnot full market price	Jun 2025	€251,674	78 m
23 Bellevue Court, Booterstown, Dublin	Jan 2026	€436,000	78 m
3 Trimleston Ave, Booterstown, Dublinnot full market price	Jun 2026	€370,000	142 m
36 Dornden Park, Booterstown, Dublin	Sept 2025	€1,311,000	158 m
8 The Bay Elm Park, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge	Jul 2025	€387,000	283 m
50 Elm Park, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge	Mar 2026	€410,000	299 m

Nearby properties, not this site — a guide to local values.

Sources: Building Control Management System (commencement notices) and the Residential Property Price Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Records are matched to this application by location and may not be exhaustive; always confirm against the official source before relying on them.

Key dates

Timeline

Application received7 May 2021
Decision due1 July 2021
Decision issued26 May 2021

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