The owner of the former Clerys department store in Dublin has applied for planning permission to redevelop it as a hotel, offices, bars and shops. OCS Properties also wants to add an extra level to the landmark building.

Clerys closed suddenly last year with the loss of 460 jobs after changing ownership.

The plans, drawn up by architects Henry J Lyons, cover 32,500sq m and will preserve the old building and restore its feature staircase.

The ground and first floors will be used for retail. The upper storeys will be redesigned as offices which the developer hopes will attract financial services and high-tech firms.

A hotel with an entrance on Earl Place forms part of the plans. OCS also proposes adding a rooftop level for bars, restaurants and leisure activities.

A High Court challenge to an investigation by the Workplace Relations Commission into the circumstances of the redundancies caused by the Clerys closure is still under way.

In June last year, Natrium, a partnership between Irish company D2 Private, led by businesswoman Deirdre Foley, and a UK company, Cheyne Investments, bought OCS and shut the store.

Ms Foley said the application marked a new chapter for Clerys. “We hope that this will be a major catalyst for change in the city centre and for O’Connell Street,”she said.