The Grand Canal area is used by cyclists and as a venue for events

The granting of planning permission for a large hotel along the banks of the Grand Canal in Dublin will result in the loss of a public space, opponents of the €40 million project have claimed.

A Green Party councillor has criticised An Bord Pleanála’s approval for the 178-bedroom hotel at Portobello Harbour. The city council had already granted planning permission but an appeal was made to the planning board.

Claire Byrne, a councillor for the Pembroke-South Dock area, expressed disappointment at the ruling, which she said was “effectively the privatisation of a public space”.

Construction of the hotel, which is being developed by the MKN Property Group and Tifco, a management chain backed by Goldman Sachs, will require the demolition of two buildings including one