PLANS for a new library, café, tourist office and four apartments in Lisdoonvarna have been lodged with Clare County Council.
Kilnamona developer Alan Cummins Ltd applied for planning permission to renovate the vacant Lynch’s Hotel in the town square earlier this month.
As part of the planned renovations, the developer has applied to the local authority to “Construct a new single storey extension to the front and side of the building, facing on to the public road” as well as a two storey extension to the rear of the building. The developer has completed a number of renovation projects across the county and is currently engaged in turning the former Ennistymon convent into 31 apartments. The developer also oversaw the conversion of Ennis pubs Tipsy McStagger’s and Brandon’s Pub into a number of apartments.
Lynch’s Hotel has been vacant for approximately 10 years, previously hosting 27 bedrooms and 21 bathrooms. The former accommodation was described by the Irish Examiner in 2023 as “vacant and shabby, adding to the impression of a town experiencing something of a slump”, in a piece on dereliction and unused buildings in the county’s tourist areas.
Under the plans for the proposed development, the existing, single storey elements from the front and side of the existing hotel building facing on to the public road will be removed, along with “a two storey, and a single storey element to the rear of the building”. The new two storey flat roofed extension will be used as part of the proposed library. It is planned for the extension to have no first floor windows. Lighting will instead be provided by “Two large roof lights in the extension that will light the first floor library area”, allowing the existing building’s front windows of the building’s historic façade to remain intact. +
Access to the proposed library and café will be provided directly from the street, while the four own door apartments will be accessed by means of a covered laneway from the street to the rear of the building. It is planned that the new extension will make the structure slightly smaller than the original building when completed.
The proposed redevelopment would represent a significant transformation for one of Lisdoonvarna’s long-vacant town centre properties, while also bringing new housing, tourism services and public amenities to the North Clare town.
Clare County Council will make a decision on the proposed development by the 8th of August. Submissions and objections can be made up until July 16th.
