La Touche site on the market

The Guide

http://www.independent.ie/business/commercial-property/landmark-sites-for-15m-plus-range-3019770.html

Jimjay

The Guide wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/business/commercial-property/landmark-sites-for-15m-plus-range-3019770.html

Thats great although i didnt know it was ever off the market. A reduction of 11million euro to 4 million may attract some investors. Could b a great location.

The Real B-man

Jimjay wrote: »

Thats great although i didnt know it was ever off the market. A reduction of 11million euro to 4 million may attract some investors. Could b a great location.

If they opened it up as a Hotel again that would be amazing real shame in it's current demise.

Mullie

The Real B-man wrote: »

If they opened it up as a Hotel again that would be amazing real shame in it's current demise.

Absolutely, what a location. Surely if a hotel can be viable on the Main St in Newtownmountkennedy, one definately would be on the coastline of Greystones.
We're sitting on a tourist goldmine if only it was invested in and managed. For instance, investment in a Coastal Wicklow Way all the way to Wicklow and beyond with this hotel right on it.
Running away with myself here...lets just hope its a hotel!

Taltos

Have to agree with the last sentiment - that concrete monstrosity that was built as a nightclub in my opinion marked the true demise of this hotel. Imagine being a guest with a seaview room and instead of looking out to the cove and the sea this yoke with queues of kids going in was what met you after a few drinks...

Now just because I happened to be one of those kids is another thread entirely.

Blanchflower

What about redeveloping the La Touche for the Primary Care Centre and a small hotel?

Alan_P

Blanchflower wrote: »

What about redeveloping the La Touche for the Primary Care Centre and a small hotel?

An Bord Pleanala.ie vetoed it.

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/237334.htm

The details in those documents are interesting. The receiver applied for a modification to the original planning permission granted around 2005 to turn the site into a small hotel and apartments. His proposed modification was to allow the health centre :- Pleanala said the original permission had expired, there was no mechanism to alter it, and reviewed his proposed modification as a new application.

They then decided to veto because the proposed apartment blocks were too tall and out of character for the surrounding area.

So as things stand :-

1. There is no current planning permission to do anything on the site.

2. The most recent Pleanala suggests they'll veto anything that substantially changes the site. (I can't find on their site if there was an appeal to them in the original 2005 planning permission, and if so what their decision was).

The lack of planning permission makes the 4 million euro guide price look pretty stupid, frankly.

cuddlycavies

Mullie wrote: »

Absolutely, what a location. Surely if a hotel can be viable on the Main St in Newtownmountkennedy, one definately would be on the coastline of Greystones.
We're sitting on a tourist goldmine if only it was invested in and managed. For instance, investment in a Coastal Wicklow Way all the way to Wicklow and beyond with this hotel right on it.
Running away with myself here...lets just hope its a hotel!

Agreed it would be a great site, view,DART to city, wicklow mountains,golf courses. however the newtown hotel is hardly viable. One senses it's run by a bank. It does on line rates of €50 Band B. Great rooms and breakfast.

Jimjay

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Agreed it would be a great site, view,DART to city, wicklow mountains,golf courses. however the newtown hotel is hardly viable. One senses it's run by a bank. It does on line rates of €50 Band B. Great rooms and breakfast.

I dont know how viable the nmk hotel is but there are always coaches parked out side and when i have been in for a meal (which wasnt very nice) the place was full if pensioners from england on a coach tour all waiting for their evening entertainment.

Btw i dont think its run by a bank, it is the sister hotel of druids geln in kilcoole

Dublin Chick

Taltos wrote: »

Have to agree with the last sentiment - that concrete monstrosity that was built as a nightclub in my opinion marked the true demise of this hotel. Imagine being a guest with a seaview room and instead of looking out to the cove and the sea this yoke with queues of kids going in was what met you after a few drinks...

Now just because I happened to be one of those kids is another thread entirely.

There was also about two fuunction rooms and a pub in the extension of the hotel....

Ah Lautrex how we miss you

bido

Jimjay wrote: »

I dont know how viable the nmk hotel is but there are always coaches parked out side and when i have been in for a meal (which wasnt very nice) the place was full if pensioners from england on a coach tour all waiting for their evening entertainment.

Btw i dont think its run by a bank, it is the sister hotel of druids geln in kilcoole

I don't know where you got your information from it has nothing to do with Druids Glen Hotel.
It is privately owned by the family that owned the Delgany Inn
Try booking a wedding there it is booked out .
Maby you are a little jealous it is not in Greystones.
Traveller rating by trip advisor

Excellent 53 Very good 12 Average 8 Poor 3 Terrible 5

Jimjay

bido wrote: »

Maby you are a little jealous it is not in Greystones.

What makes you think I am jealous?
Someone said they may be in financial trouble and I was simply saying how busy it always looks. I went for a meal and didn't like it, it was steak and was that fatty I had truoble chewing it.

Must have wires crossed bout link to Druids

Blanchflower

Alan_P wrote: »

An Bord Pleanala.ie vetoed it.

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/237334.htm

The details in those documents are interesting. The receiver applied for a modification to the original planning permission granted around 2005 to turn the site into a small hotel and apartments. His proposed modification was to allow the health centre :- Pleanala said the original permission had expired, there was no mechanism to alter it, and reviewed his proposed modification as a new application.

They then decided to veto because the proposed apartment blocks were too tall and out of character for the surrounding area.

So as things stand :-

1. There is no current planning permission to do anything on the site.

2. The most recent Pleanala suggests they'll veto anything that substantially changes the site. (I can't find on their site if there was an appeal to them in the original 2005 planning permission, and if so what their decision was).

The lack of planning permission makes the 4 million euro guide price look pretty stupid, frankly.

I agree with you there Alan_P. The €4 million asking price certainly does look very unrealistic in these recessionary times. Now a snip of €1 million would be very attractive investment proposal indeed for a canny investor.

The HSC should therefore consider entering into a Public Private Partnership with a solvent canny investment company for the redevelopment of this prime site as the site for it’s Primary Care centre and not the less attractive reclaimed harbour site for the following good planning reasons:

1. It is situated on a safe elevated site on good solid rock foundations with no drainage or flooding issues.
2. It would solve the problem of the dilapidated state of the former La Touche Hotel site.
3. It is more centrally located in a sustainable location in the heart of Greystones town and is highly accessible to all its residents.
4. It is of a suitable size to accommodate an efficient and well-designed centre.
5. It is much closer to public transport - DART and bus service.
6. It follows the sequential approach to spatial planning.
7. The economic base of the town would be greatly strengthened.

The Bishop Basher

It's just not viable. The building is in tatters and was so before it closed. As much as
It hurts, it's gone. No one can afford to purchase the site and turn it into a profit making hotel without sustaining decades of loss. I'd love to be proven wrong but I just don't see it.

pixbyjohn

Swanner wrote: »

It's just not viable. The building is in tatters and was so before it closed. As much as
It hurts, it's gone. No one can afford to purchase the site and turn it into a profit making hotel without sustaining decades of loss. I'd love to be proven wrong but I just don't see it.

Agree with you a 100%
Sentiment will never make a profit.

Blanchflower

Swanner wrote: »

It's just not viable. The building is in tatters and was so before it closed. As much as
It hurts, it's gone. No one can afford to purchase the site and turn it into a profit making hotel without sustaining decades of loss. I'd love to be proven wrong but I just don't see it.

I am suggesting a PPP with the HSC as an anchor tenant for a concessionary period of 30 years together with a small boutique hotel.

The existing shell would need to be demolished with the only the protected facade remaining.

This would be a going concern.

Jimjay

Blanchflower wrote: »

I am suggesting a PPP with the HSC as an anchor tenant for a concessionary period of 30 years together with a small boutique hotel.

The existing shell would need to be demolished with the only the protected facade remaining.

This would be a going concern.

Is the facade still protected? I thought the protected status was removed to attract investors!

This was an old headline.
Protected status removed from la touche hotel greystones
http://georgejones.ie/?p=544

Alan_P

Jimjay wrote: »

Is the facade still protected? I thought the protected status was removed to attract investors!

This was an old headline.
Protected status removed from la touche hotel greystones
http://georgejones.ie/?p=544

No, it's still protected. Removing it was considered, but ultimately it was retained.

http://georgejones.ie/?p=583

Incidentally, I had 10 minutes and went burrowing in the Bord Pleanala site :- there was an appeal of the 2005 planning grant, but it was withdrawn, so An Bord Pleanala never considered it.

It seems likely that had that appeal not been withdrawn, Pleanala would have vetoed the apartments back then.

doylerd

Easily the most wonderful part of the La Touche story is that the geniuses at AIB, ever the guardians of our national economic interest via their soothsayer-like investment decisions, refused an 8-9m bid for the hotel in August 2010 (according to a friend of the Hayden family). Typically canny move, lads. Sure never mind, the taxpayer will absorb the loss anyway!!

pixbyjohn

doylerd wrote: »

Easily the most wonderful part of the La Touche story is that the geniuses at AIB, ever the guardians of our national economic interest via their soothsayer-like investment decisions, refused an 8-9m bid for the hotel in August 2010 (according to a friend of the Hayden family). Typically canny move, lads. Sure never mind, the taxpayer will absorb the loss anyway!!

Thats just hearsay, not a fact unfortunately.

doylerd

oh it's not true? well I guess it wouldn't have mattered anyway....

pixbyjohn wrote: »

Thats just hearsay, not a fact unfortunately.