A 200 seater “Baby Vicar” entertainment venue for Dublin’s docklands would “bring light and life to a dark place”.
That is according to businessman Harry Crosbie in a letter accompanying his plans for a 4-star 35 bedroom hotel and the “Baby Vicar” venue at Hanover Quay in Dublin 2.
The hotel and venue will be housed in a two-storey glass box as part of a design by PRC Architecture & Planning where the two level glass cube will “oversail” the protected structure at 9 Hanover Quay, which has been the home of Vicar Street owners Harry and Rita Crosbie for the last 30 years.
The planning application involves converting the Crosbie home to hospitality and entertainment mixed use.
In the letter lodged with the Misery Hill Entertainment Ltd application to Dublin City Council, Mr Crosbie said that the facility would “be an all day people gathering hub with hotel back up”.
He said that the entertainment diary for the venue would be run by Aiken Promotions.
“It will animate and bring life to the whole Grand Canal Dock area. The small venue will punch far above its weight. It will add greatly to the cultural infrastructure of the city. It will bring light and life to a dark place,” Mr Crosbie said.,
In the letter, Mr Crosbie outlined how a typical day at the venue would look like with maybe a small wedding in the morning, a business podcast in the afternoon and at night, an intimate supper club with a singer-songwriter workshop.
Mr Crosbie spearheaded the renewal of the docklands area and was behind the development of what is now the 3Arena, the Bord Gais Energy Theatre while he was also a partner in delivering the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD).
Today, Mr Crosbie continues to operate Vicar Street in Dublin 8 and commenting on the “Baby Vicar” plan Mr Crosbie said on Monday that “Dublin deserves it”.
Planning consultant for Misery Hill Entertainment, William Doran said that “the proposal will bring economic activity to the water edge, boosting local employment and with the entertainment venue to attract people to the Grand Canal Square and Dock area increasing the economic activity and benefiting other businesses in the area.”
Misery Hill Entertainment Ltd is re-lodging the plans after Dublin City Council invalidated the initial application last September due to technical issues. A decision is due on the new application in April.
