Wynn’s Hotel faces closure during peak Metrolink construction

The historic Wynn’s Hotel on Dublin’s Abbey Street will have to shut down during the height of construction of the Metrolink rail line, An Bord Pleanála’s hearing on the €9.5 billion rail line has heard.

This would be necessary to avoid “threatening the hotel’s success and reputation” as a restful place to stay, a planning consultant representing the hotel has said.

The construction of the metro tunnel under the 170-year-old hotel, which is a protected structure, will make it “impossible for the hotel to take bookings” for a period of approximately two weeks, when guests would be prevented from sleeping, planning consultant Blaine Cregan told the hearing.

The 18.8km line is planned to run from north of Swords to Dublin Airport, then on to Ballymun, Glasnevin, O’Connell Street and St Stephen’s Green before terminating at Charlemont, with 16 stations along the route.

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The hotel is located along the Luas Red line and had endured “extensive disruption during its construction” in the early 2000s, which was “exacerbated by poor communications by the developers”, Mr Cregan said.

“Since Luas became operational Wynn’s Hotel has been forced to install windows with triple glazing in order to mitigate the noise of passing trams,” he said.

Wynn’s was an “ionic hotel in Dublin city with a long history” Mr Cregan said. “A fundamental aspect of Wynn’s Hotel’s offering is to provide guests with a restful stay away from city centre traffic and noise, this is a core element of Wynn’s Hotel’s success throughout its long history.”

Disturbance to the hotel guests at night was “very likely” particularly during the period when the tunnel boring machine was directly below the hotel. “Closure of the hotel is the only practical way to mitigate this risk,” he said.

“If the hotel were not closed, dissatisfied guests may not stay at the hotel and/or demand refunds having had a poor night’s sleep resulting in reputational damage to our client to the long term.”

It would, Mr Cregan said, be “impossible for the hotel to take bookings during the time in which the tunnel boring machine is in proximity to the hotel, which is slated to last approximately two weeks, due to the significant adverse noise and disturbance these construction works will result in during this period”. This will have a “significant financial impact on the hotel”.

Dr Ronan Hallissey representing Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) the State body with responsibility for Metrolink, said there would be a “peak noise level” of between “two and three days” when the tunnel boring machine would be passing under the hotel. The reference to two weeks was a period when there would be “some level of audibility” of the machine but “doesn’t necessarily represent a period there during which there is potential for significant effect,” Dr Hallissey said.

The hotel has also raised concerns about the potential impact on the structural integrity of the building, given its age. TII has said it recognises the special status of the building and it would be subject to further detailed assessments during the design phase.

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