The Irish Times

Clonmel Arms Hotel

Councillors in Clonmel, Co Tipperary plan to remove a Georgian building from the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) in order to allow the development of a multistorey car park, hotel and shopping centre, which was refused by An Bord Pleanála last week. An Bord Pleanála upheld appeals by the Department of the Environment and An Taisce against the controversial €40 million development which was approved by Clonmel Borough Council last August. The council had given planning permission to the Borc Partnership to build a 500-space car park over nine levels, a 2770 sq m shopping centre and an 80-bedroom hotel on a one-acre site in the town centre currently occupied by the Clonmel Arms Hotel. The hotel is a listed Georgian building and the proposed development would have involved its partial demolition. An Bord Pleanála refused permission on the grounds of excessive scale and height of the development in the historic town centre and that there were no exceptional circumstances that would permit the demolition of a protected structure. In its ruling the board also said the development would have an adverse impact on a nearby national monument, the restored 17th century customs house, the Main Guard, and was contrary to council's own development plan for the town.