A pub described as 'a D4 gem' is set to be replaced by a 'significantly larger bar'
Dublin City Council has granted the go-ahead for plans to demolish a 'D4 gem', Smyth’s pub on Haddington Rd, and replace it with a larger pub and apartments despite locals' ‘superpub’ fears. In its decision, the Council has granted planning permission to Courtney Lounge Bars Ltd to demolish all existing buildings on site at 10 Haddington Rd and construct a four-storey and part five-storey, mixed-use building, comprising a pub at basement and ground floor and six residential units at the upper floors.
The Council granted planning permission after concluding that the scheme "would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or property in the vicinity”. The planning authority has granted planning permission, with 14 conditions attached, after Courtney Lounge Bars Ltd made design changes to the scheme. The Council planner’s report concluded that the alterations made to the design “are greatly appreciated”. The planners stated that the changes have resulted in a development which balances visual interest and attention to detail and which creates an architectural presence in a volume which does not jar with the adjoining structures. In response to the plans initially lodged, the Pembroke Rd Association has told the council that "a local pub can be a wonderful social amenity in a mixed residential area, as Smyth’s has been over the years, but a ‘super’ pub in the same type of area is a problem”. On behalf of the association, Susan McCarrick has told the Council that the development “is clearly too high and we have a concern with its bulk and massing and general visual dominance”. Former Environment Editor at The Irish Times, Frank McDonald, has told the council that "protecting Dublin’s heritage is important, especially in a city that has lost so many of the elements that give it character and authenticity”. He said: "Smyth’s pub may not have retained as much of its Victorian interior as Toners and Doheny & Nesbitt’s on Baggot Street or Keogh’s on South Anne Street, but it is of real value as a remnant of “old Dublin”. Mr McDonald stated that the pub’s own website describes itself as a ‘D4 gem’ and he said that “now this “D4 Gem”, sandwiched as it is between brasher elements of 'New Dublin’, is destined for the chopping block, to be replaced by a significantly larger bar extending over the entire ground-floor area from Haddington Road to Percy Place”. Local resident Elizabeth O’Sullivan told the council that Smyth's already attracts large crowds, which tend to spill out onto the pavement at busy times. Ms O’Sullivan said: “This naturally causes an increase in noise level which already happens, and can make it difficult to get to sleep. The proposed development involves an increase in the size of the pub, and therefore will exacerbate this problem.” A planning report lodged with the application stated that “the replacement building is considered to be a significant improvement from the building it replaces and will be a positive addition to the character of the area”. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
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