Dublin City Council refuse planning retention to 10 apartment Airbnb operator
Dublin Castle Suites advertises its 10 apartments on the Airbnb platform and can earn up to €350 per night per apartment on busy weekends.
Advertisement
The owner of the apartments facing onto Parliament Street and Dame Street would earn only a fraction of its current rental income if the apartments are to be rented for long-term letting only.
A question mark has now been put over the lucrative enterprise following the City Council's decision to refuse planning retention to allow the apartments to continue to be used for short-term letting.
Applicants, Olympia Real Estate Limited, now have the option of appealing the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála, which may reverse the council's planning refusal.
However, in its decision, the city council pointed out that there is a general presumption in the Dublin City Council Development Plan against the provision of dedicated short-term tourist rental accommodation in the city due to the impact on the availability of housing stock.
Advertisement
In refusing planning permission, the Council stated that Olympia Real Estate Ltd has not provided a sufficient justification for the provision of short-lease apartments at this location.
The Council found that the proposal to continue the apartments for short-term letting 'would create an undesirable precedent for similar type development and would devalue property in the vicinity'.
The planners concluded that the proposed retention of short-term residential use is not compatible with the architectural character, historic fabric and special interests of the protected structure.
The Council planning report which recommended a refusal concluded that the continued use of the apartments for tourist accommodation 'would result in existing residential stock being lost to the residential housing system, meaning less long-term and secure accommodation will be available to the growing number of families and people who need it'.
Advertisement
Olympia Real Estate Limited lodged the planning application after the Council issued it with a Warning Letter over the use of the apartments for short-term letting.
Planning consultants for the applicants, Cunnane Stratton Reynolds (CSR) state that 'enabling housing as short-term let accommodation in this instance redirects such demand away from mainstream housing'.
The consultants state that 'the proposed tourism accommodation will assist in the attractiveness of the area for tourists and will promote a continued busy and vibrant city centre'.
CSR states that its client's ability to acoustically meet the standards of normal accommodation is not available, given the protected status of the subject premises.
Advertisement
They state, 'in a period of substantial housing crisis these units cannot remain vacant'.
Objecting to the planned retention, Fiachra Brennan of Oakcourt Park, Dublin 20 and who works on Parliament Street, said that 'these are high-quality urban apartments which should be available on the long-term rental market'.
He said: 'The applicant has pointed to issues with regards to soundproofing and insulation – this should not preclude the use of the property for its intended purpose.
He added: 'I work on Parliament Street – it is a vibrant area with a range of commercial and hospitality businesses but is also an important urban, residential city neighbourhood. This status should be protected.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Express
22 minutes ago
- Auto Express
Car Deal of the Day: Bag a desirable plug-in hybrid BMW X3 M Sport for less than £380 a month
Great ride, handling and in-car technology Up to 54 miles electric range £378.31 per month on a three-year lease There's a huge number of mid-size SUVs out there on today's market, but very few can challenge a BMW X3 for driving experience or desirability. The looks may not appeal to everyone, but when a plug-in hybrid model in sporty M Sport trim can be leased for under £380 a month, most will be only too happy to squint a bit. This BMW X3 lease deal is from First Vehicle Leasing via the Auto Express Buy A Car service, and runs for three years. You'll have to find a £4,890 initial payment to set the ball rolling, before shelling out £378 a month. There's a 5,000-mile annual limit on this deal, and extending to a more realistic 8,000 miles takes the price to £408 per month. Go for a 10,000 limit and it's £428. Advertisement - Article continues below This is no ordinary X3, though. It's the xDrive 30e plug-in hybrid with petrol and electric power combining for a 295bhp output. The official WLTP combined electric range is 54 miles, so it will be perfectly possible for drivers with easy access to charging to travel on electric power most of the time. That equates to very low running costs. The car comes in BMW's appealing M Sport trim, which means 19-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara and brushed aluminium interior trim, firmer M Sport suspension, an M Sport steering wheel and black headlining. There's also gloss black trim on the exterior. That's on top of basic X3 features such as the latest BMW infotainment system – which we've been very impressed by on our tests – climate control, electric seats and a full suite of electronic driver aids. It all adds up to a truly desirable package that is tremendous value. The Car Deal of the Day selections we make are taken from our own Auto Express Buy A Car deals service, which includes the best current offers from car dealers and leasing companies around the UK. Terms and conditions apply, while prices and offers are subject to change and limited availability. If this deal expires, you can find more top BMW X3 leasing offers from leading providers on our BMW X3 deals page. Check out the BMW X3 deal now or take a look at our previous Car Deal of the Day selection here… Find a car with the experts Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription Owners can now subscribe to boost the power of their car… for a fee Shock new mid-size Range Rover to get EV power and stunning design Shock new mid-size Range Rover to get EV power and stunning design Mid-size SUV will end the four-year wait for a new JLR model and our exclusive images preview how it could look New Jaecoo E5 is a Range Rover lookalike with a very attractive price New Jaecoo E5 is a Range Rover lookalike with a very attractive price Chinese newcomer's first electric SUV is also a rival to the award-winning Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Global markets face shaky week ahead as US pressure mounts on Ukraine
LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Defence stocks and energy markets are likely to be in focus this week, as European leaders rushed to back Ukraine in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump that may pressure Kyiv to accept a peace deal favouring Russia. Investors are watching for signs that the U.S. may move closer to Russia in a bid to exploit vast, untapped Arctic energy resources, in a major geopolitical shift that piles pressure on Europe to rapidly boost defence spending. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended their weekend summit in Alaska without securing a Ukraine ceasefire agreement, with the U.S. President then saying he now wanted a rapid peace deal that Kyiv should accept. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is travelling to Washington on Monday for talks that leaders of nations including Germany, the UK and France will now join. "Trump seems inclined to reduce or even end US support for Ukraine. Putin got him interested in business deals," Berenberg Chief Economist Holger Schmieding said in a note to clients. "As a result, the US may lift its sanctions on Russia and invest in Russia instead," he added. "Europe will have to spend a lot more for its own defence." Investors have bet on that outcome since February 2022, driving a supercharged rally in European aerospace and defence stocks (.SXPARO), opens new tab with gains of over 600% for Leonardo ( opens new tab and 1,500% for Germany's Rheinmetall ( opens new tab. The euro has rallied 13% against the dollar this year and traded at about $1.17 on Friday. Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett highlighted the potential for U.S.-Russia Arctic drilling projects to exploit 15% of the world's undiscovered oil and 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas, resulting in a deep energy bear market. Brent crude, which dropped more than 1% to near $66 a barrel, on Friday, was still priced for a Ukraine peace deal, Hartnett cautioned, while Trump wanted lower energy prices for U.S. consumers . Ukraine's government bonds - key mood indicators - rallied when news of the summit emerged earlier this month but have stalled at a still-distressed 55 cents per dollar. "I would think they will be a bit weaker following the recent strength as the mood seems to favour Russia following Friday's summit," Aegon Asset Management head of emerging market debt Jeff Grills said.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
From royal hatters to top tailors: James Bond lawyers line up trademark fight team
King Charles's personal shirtmaker. The world's oldest hatters, who designed fitments for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation crown and boast fans including Winston Churchill. A luxury sports brand with a 'spy-ready' ski-suit. Has James Bond assembled a crack team that can successfully take on his latest adversary? Lawyers representing Danjaq, the US company that controls the rights to worldwide James Bond merchandising in conjunction with the UK company Eon Productions, have filed evidence running to 227 pages as it battles to retain control of the superspy's name across Europe. In February, the Guardian revealed that a Dubai-based property developer had filed claims in the UK and EU arguing that lack of use meant various protections had lapsed around James Bond's intellectual property, including his name, his 007 assignation and the catchphrase 'Bond, James Bond'. Nearly all nine of the trademarks being challenged relate to the merchandising of goods and services under the Bond name, which can be challenged after five years of 'non-use'. Josef Kleindienst, an Austrian who is building a $5bn (£3.7bn) luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, has argued that the trademarks have been commercially underexploited. Boehmert & Boehmert, one of the largest intellectual property (IP) law firms in Europe, representing Danjaq, has hit back, filing evidence to the European trademark office from a who's who of high-end partners still using the Bond name. The filing starts with the 140-year-old Jermyn Street tailor, Turnbull & Asser, which describes itself as the 'definitive British shirtmaker' and created shirts for Sean Connery in the first Bond film, 1962's Dr No, continuing to do so since for Bond actors including Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. The firm is the personal shirtmaker to the king, who bestowed the company with his first royal warrant when, as the Prince of Wales, he was given the power to do so in 1980. Turnbull & Asser created the shirt Charles wore on his coronation day in 2023, and a year later he renewed its royal warrant. The evidence file also features Lock & Co, the world's oldest hatters with roots dating to 1676, whose heritage includes being responsible for fitting out first world war soldiers in their now familiar 'Mark 1' tin helmets before being deployed overseas. The company, based in London's St James's Street, started its Bond relationship with one of its hats appearing in the now famous opening credit gun barrel scene in 1960's Dr No. Lock & Co was also behind henchman Odd Job's famous lethal Coker, or bowler hat, in 1964's Goldfinger. Bond fans can pay £537 for the James felt trilby, Dr No edition while women might take to the £662 Vesper, originally created for Eva Green to wear as Vesper Lynd in 2006's Casino Royale. 'In cases such as this the brand owner should respond by providing a robust package of evidence, assuming they are able to do so,' said Mark Caddle, partner and trademark lawyer at the European IP firm Withers & Rogers. 'Commercial use is often shown by sales figures and a selection of invoices to support them, as well as by evidence of marketing and communications activity, such as brochures, online advertising, physical advertising and social media posts.' Commercial information has also been provided for the luxury sports lifestyle brand Bogner. Willy Bogner Jr, who took over running the company founded by his father in 1932, has been credited for creating the world's first action skiing scenes for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He went on to create alpine scenes for Bond productions including The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only and A View to a Kill. Last year, the company launched its 'spy-ready' ski range – the Bognor X 007 collection – with products priced from $290 to $2,300 (about £205 to £1,700). There is also product and commercial information from luxury cashmere and accessories brand founded in 1936 with a flagship store in London's Burlington arcade, which stocks a modern take on Bond, including a pair of £245 No Time to Die combat trousers. Boehmert & Boehmert has called the trademark action an 'unprecedented assault' on the multibillion-pound global franchise. 'We will file evidence of use for each trademark,' said Rudolf Böckenholt, at Boehmert & Boehmert, in a defence filing. 'Considering the number of goods/services at issue for each trademark, this will be a submission considerable in length and size, including numerous attachments and exhibits.' Kleindienst has extended his attempt to try to take control of the spy's various brands by also submitting his own trademark for James Bond in Europe. He has not, however, done the same in the UK. The developer has said that he has launched the trademark action because he is concerned about the commercial future of the spy franchise, arguing that Bond 'will not die' on his watch. Daniel Craig's last outing as 007, in No Time to Die, was released in 2021. With no announcement yet of his replacement or timeline for production of the next film, the franchise is on track to beat the previous longest gap between instalments of six years and four months. Danjaq also co-owns the copyright to the existing Bond films, along with MGM Studios, which was acquired by Amazon for $8.5bn in 2021. Days after the report of Kleindienst's legal challenges, it emerged that Amazon had paid more than $1bn to gain full 'creative control' of the franchise from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the longtime stewards of the Bond films. With creative control, Amazon now has the power to move forward with new films and potentially TV spin-offs, without approval from the two British-American heirs to the film producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli, who had overseen the integrity of the character originally created in 1953 by the author Ian Fleming. Denis Villeneuve, the man behind the Dune franchise, is directing the next Bond film. And Steven Knight, who is the co-creator of the gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and penned Peaky Blinders, has reportedly been brought on board to write the next 007 outing. In March, Amazon confirmed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman would produce the film, although no release date or lead actor has yet been named. Pascal has experience with the Bond series in her previous position as Sony's chair of film, overseeing Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. She also had producer credits on the latest Spider-Man series. Heyman is best known as the producer of the Harry Potter films as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise and is now in pre-production on the HBO TV series adaptation of the stories. He is the second most commercially successful film producer of all time, with credits including Gravity, Paddington, Barbie, Wonka and Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood. 'We have the utmost respect for the legacy of James Bond,' said Kleindienst in response to the latest developments in the trademark case. 'Yet we must acknowledge a simple truth: there are clear trademark and copyright laws, which exist to prevent prolonged inactivity and ensure that cultural properties continue to serve the audiences that value them. Our goal is straightforward – to respect the legacy while ensuring that Bond remains relevant and accessible to all fans.' This article was amended on 17 August 2025 to correct the spelling of the brand Bogner and of Willy Bogner Jr.
