DUBLIN CITY Council has denied planning permission for a McDonald’s restaurant in Temple Bar.
The proposed development had met resistance from groups such as An Taisce and the Temple Bar Cultural Trust who argued that its construction would detract from the cultural, artistic and historic character of the area.
The fast-food giant had hoped to locate itself on the site of Frankie’s Steakhouse and Bar at Temple Bar Square.
Dublin City Council said Temple Bar was already adequately served by restaurants, that the building in question was a protected structure and that adding a McDonald’s would add to the congestion in a small public space.
On its website, the council said the introduction of another take-away facility into the area would have a “detrimental impact on the mix of uses within the Temple Bar area which already has an ample supply of restaurants”.
The council also found fault with the proposal to insert automatic doors, which it said, would “negatively detract from the building’s specific historic character”.
An Taisce, invited by the council to comment on the application, said that among other issues a branch of McDonald’s would contribute to the problems caused by alcohol in Temple Bar.
“The permitting of a large global fast-food chain restaurant in this highly visible location in the centre of Temple Bar would contribute to and reinforce the existing negative synergy between the uses of alcohol and fast food in the area, and the perception of Temple Bar as overwhelmingly a drinking and fast-food quarter.”
A spokesman for McDonald’s said it was disappointed by the refusal to grant planning permission and that the company was reviewing the decision before deciding on any follow-up action.
McDonald’s now has four weeks to appeal the decision to Dublin City Council after which it can appeal again to An Bord Pleanála.