The Ormond Hotel on Ormond Quay in Dublin is to remain standing after An Bord Pleanala refused a development application to demolish it.
The hotel was developed around 1900 but has been closed since 2005 and the facade has fallen into disrepair. The hotel is associated with the Sirens episode in James Joyce's Ulysses.
Monteco Holdings applied to demolish the hotel and build a 170 bedroom six-story hotel and pub; with an investment of around €20 million in the redevelopment. As part of the plans, Monteco was intending to retain the name of the hotel, erect a tourism plaque and have a Sirens themed bar.
The James Joyce Centre and An Taisce had opposed the development on the basis that the facade would have been completely altered.
An Bord Pleanála made no reference to the Joyce connection in giving the ruling, instead focusing on the effect the development would have on the surrounding area, buildings and residents.
An Bord Pleanála said that that the new development would have a "monolithic design and unsympathetic proportions" and would be likely to seriously injure the character of the conservation area. Monteco said that the buildings were unused and in poor condition and the site would be substantially improved by a new development, but that this was being blocked by "literary fiction and romanticism".
