Clarence revamp is hit with new delay
U2’s plans for a €150m Clarence Hotel revamp will be hit with another delay as An Bord Pleanala stalls over making a decision. The planning board has indicated that a deadline for a ruling which was set for the end of this week will not be met. It will be at least another month and a half before a decision can be made. “It will be put back — five or six weeks for sure,” a Bord Pleanala source said. The sheer workload faced by planning officials is understood to be the primary reason behind the expected delay. By the time the decision is made, it will almost be a year since the initial planning application was lodged with Dublin City Council. The council gave permission for the scheme on November 14 before an appeal was made to An Bord Pleanala. A subsequent oral hearing was told that the demolition of the Clarence and its redesign may go against both local planning guidelines and Government legislation. Existing laws allow for the demolition of protected structures in exceptional circumstances.
