FBD Property & Leisure (FBDPLL), the wholly owned subsidiary of investment company Farmer Business Developments, has applied to Fingal County Council for planning permission for a €5.5m development of its Castleknock Hotel and Country Club.

As part of the €5.5m development, the hotel’s capacity will be increased by 46 rooms to bring the total number of rooms at Castleknock to 190. The additional 46 rooms planned as part of the investment will comprise of 38 standard, five superior and three deluxe rooms.

Another aspect of the development plan will see the day spa – currently located on the first floor of the hotel – moved to the ground floor, with the addition of a new aerobics suite and five new treatment rooms.

The new day spa and leisure centre will have its own entrance, as well as being accessible from the hotel. David Kelly, chief executive of FBDPLL, said the Castleknock Hotel had made significant progress since the recovery of the Irish economy first began.

“With the Irish hotel sector now in full recovery mode and Dublin leading the way in terms of visitor numbers, we are now in a position where we can expand on our existing offering.

“We know that the demand for hotel rooms in the capital is high and growing, while the supply of new rooms has stagnated in recent years,” added David Kelly.

Planned investments

The announcement from FBDPLL comes less than a month after the group told the Irish Farmers Journal it was planning capital investments up to €7.5m for 2016, having refinanced its debt facilities with lender AIB for another three years.

FBDPLL has current bank debts of more than €46m arising from when Farmer Business Developments agreed to acquire the remaining 50% shareholding in the property and leisure business. Developments paid €48.5m to its former joint venture partner FBD Holdings plc for the 50% stake in October this year, with €25m of this assumed as debt by FBDPLL.