Dublin City Council has given the green light for the mixed-use development of the Guinness Quarter.
Diageo’s development partner Ballymore has received a 10-year planning permission from the Council for the development of two new hotels, five commercial office buildings and six residential buildings on the lands at Guinness Brewery to the South of James Street in Dublin 8.
The residential buildings will have a total of 336 apartments- 45 studios, 88 one-bedroom, three two-bedroom (with one double and one single bedroom), 163 two-bedroom apartments, and 37 three-bedroom apartments. One of the buildings will be a 16-storey build-to-rent with mostly studios and one-bedroom apartments.
There will also be a Markethall, a Foodhall, and various venues, including retail, café, restaurant and pub venues. Community and cultural spaces will be available to residents and visitors, as well as an extensive new public realm and squares with a total above-ground area of around 126,941 square metres.
Read more: Guinness announce changes in the production of their non-alcoholic drink
Meanwhile, the two hotels will include a nine-storey 204 bed hotel to the rear of 77-82 James’ Street and a 100 bed hotel at four to six storeys in height.
The development will include the demolition of existing structures, mainly existing office and former industrial buildings, as well as the retention of key conservation features including existing protected structures and existing site walls.
The site contains a number of Protected Structures including James’s Street Gateway and sits adjacent to the Guinness Building, the Guinness Storehouse, St James’s Parochial Hall, and St James’s Roman Catholic Church.
Ballymore has previously been involved in complex regeneration developments such as London City Island and Old Spitalfields Market in London. Ballymore have said on their website: “We’re partnering with Diageo to open the gates at St James’s to the people of Dublin for the first time in over 200 years, with one of the most exiting regeneration schemes in Europe.”
Meanwhile Ballymore Group CEO Sean Mulryan has said: “It is unusual for a drink to mean so much to so many, but Guinness has become far more than a brand. It has become a symbol for Ireland: an icon of heritage for people all over the world.
“St James’s Gate has over 260 years of history, and so, we have a unique responsibility to ensure that when that famous gate opens, it opens to a place synonymous with good times and memorable experiences.”
The company has also said that sustainability is “at the core” of this project, with their vision being to become the first Zero Carbon district in Dublin.
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