McDonalds have been refused admission into the prestigious Temple Bar in Dublin's city.

The fast food chain has been refused planning permission to build a restaurant in the tourist hot spot.

This follows Dublin City Council ruling that the proposed outlet would go against the "dignity" of the capital's cultural quarter.

The development also met resistance from groups such as AnTaisce and the Temple Bar Cultural Trust who argued that its construction would detract from the cultural, artistic and historic character of the area.

The chain had applied for permission to take over Frankie’s Steakhouse and Bar at 42 Temple Bar Square, hoping to open a three-floor outlet with ancillary takeaway.

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The Council rejected the bid claiming that: "This would be in breach with zoning objectives.

"The installation of automatic doors for the building would also have detracted from ‘the building’s special historic character’, and would also pose a threat to the fabric of the building which was already a protected structure," they concluded.

It was also argued that there was no need for a new eatery as the Temple Bar area already had restaurants in abundance. This meaning that permission for a new outlet would be in contravention with the Dublin City Development Plan, which aims to stop oversupply of such areas.

A McDonald's spokesperson said the company was "very disappointed" with the decision, adding that they are in the process of' reviewing the decision and would decide on the next course of action when that review was completed.

McDonald's now have four weeks to appeal the decision to Dublin City Council.

(LB/CD)