The owner of One the Waterfront in Tramore says the refusal of planning for a rear terrace is a missed opportunity for the town.
The terrace was constructed above rocks at the beachside two years ago without the appropriate permission.
Last Friday, Waterford Council refused to grant the retention application.
Developer Seamus Walsh, who also owns Waterford Castle, says he wanted to showcase Tramore's potential when building the terrace:
"The plans were to show to Tramore what it really could be, to make it shine, rather than talking about it where people might not get it, council might not get it. I hoped the local general public would be in support of it and see the benefits and also the council themselves would see this is how we want Tramore to look going forward."
Mr Walsh denied he flaunted the rules:
"I didn't flaunt the rules I did a legal process of retention, which is a legal process through the planning scheme which is utilised quite regularly, but I wanted to showcase what Tramore could and should be."
Louise Hurley, who is the Chief Financial Officer of the Walsh hotel group, says the decision is bad for hospitality:
"You see Galway County Council they're trying to encourage outdoor dining, waiving fees doing everything they can to help hospitality and on our side of the fence in Tramore where we're poor in terms of space, we seem to be going in the opposite direction".
Mr Walsh says he's disappointed by the decision and it will be appealed to An Bord Pleanála. He also said he found the lack of communication by Waterford Council regarding the decision "extraordinary".
In a statement, Waterford Council said that "in common with all other planning authorities" it does not speak to applicants in advance of decisions.
A spokesperson added that if an applicant is unhappy, they are entitled to appeal the decision.
