Well-known pub told to scale back plan for Dublin hotel revamp

Expansion: Dublin’s Mercantile Hotel wants to up number of rooms.

Gordon Deegan

May 14 2019 02:30 AM

Dublin City Council has told the Mercantile Group to reduce the scale of its planned €10m revamp of the Mercantile Hotel.

This follows the city council placing on hold the Mercantile Group plan to extend the Mercantile Hotel from 28 to 109 rooms at 24-28 Dame Street.

The group - which counts Cafe En Seine, gig venue Whelan's, and The George in its growing portfolio of entertainment venues - is expanding the Dame Street hotel following its purchase of Dame House, which it acquired for €7.5m in 2017.

However, in a setback to its plans, the city council has stated that it has reservations regarding the scale, mass and height of the proposed rear extension to the existing buildings.

The Mercantile group is planning a six-storey vertical extension. In response, the city council has requested Mercantile firm, Orangeseed "to consider reducing the height, scale and mass of the proposed rear extension to a maximum of five storeys".

Fáilte Ireland supports the plan.