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SINN FÉIN LEADER Mary Lou McDonald has emerged as one of nine separate parties to lodge appeals to An Bord Pleanála against the green light for a planned €500 million transformation of central Dublin.
Last month, Dublin City Council granted planning permission to UK property giant, Hammerson for twin applications for the redevelopment of a 5.5-acre plot stretching from O’Connell Street to Moore Street.
The applications includes 79 build to rent apartments and hotel, retail, restaurant, cafe as well as cultural uses.
However, McDonald has lodged appeals with An Bord Pleanála against both planning permissions.
Others to lodge appeals include ones by street trader, Peter Hickey, the Moore Street Preservation Trust, Amanda Higgins and others; Patrick Cooney on behalf of Save 16 Moore Street Committee, Troy Family Butchers, Míchéal MacDonncha and the Dublin One Business Alliance.
The applicants, Dublin Central GP Ltd has also lodged a first party appeal against condition(s) attached to the grant of permission.
Last June, Hammerson lodged three applications for the mixed retail, office and residential scheme on the city block formerly known as the Carlton site.
A decision on the third application has yet to be made by the City Council.
The City Council’s planner’s report which recommended a grant of permission for the main scheme stated that the most historically and architecturally sensitive parts of the site are nominated for retention.
The Council stated it welcomed the application for a comprehensive mixed use development across the site as part of the wider Dublin Central Masterplan site and noted that the wider redevelopment and regeneration of the site is supported by a range of national, regional and local policies.
However, in her original objection, McDonald stated that “the proposed development is not sympathetic to nor does it recognise in full the opinion of the National Museum of Ireland that Moore Street is ‘the most important historic site in modern Irish history’”.
Deputy McDonald argued that the “application does not protect or preserve all of the 1916 elements on site as it intends to demolish a part of the last Headquarters of the 1916 Provisional Government of the Irish Republic”.
The Dublin Central TD further argued that “the proposed development will erase for all time Moore Street’s unique plot grains and courtyards which give this site its historic core differentiating it from other competing locations nationally and internationally”.
McDonald stated that the scheme failed “to protect and preserve this area of unique historical, architectural, social, cultural and economic importance”.
In a follow up objection lodged with the Council, McDonald stated that “the unnecessary demolition of the Moore Street streetscape, location of the last battle of the Easter Rising should not be permitted”.
McDonald argued that the scale of the scheme remains inappropriate for the local area.
McDonald was one of a number of Sinn Féin figures to make submissions to the City Council – others included Gerry Adams, John Brady TD, Matt Carthy TD, Rose Conway Walsh TD and Chris Andrews TD.
The Dublin One Business Alliance claim that the scheme would overwhelm Moore Street and change its whole character for which it is famous worldwide.
In his joint appeal with fellow authorised street trader, Bridget Mooney, Peter Hickey has told the appeals board that the two have had their pitches on Henry Place for many years.
The two state: “There is a long history of street trading in inner city Dublin and as individual traders without a real voice we look to An Bord Pleanala to protect and preserve our positions in Henry Place and prevent big business from brushing us aside”.
A decision is due on the appeals by An Bord Pleanala in June.
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Jesus wept. When this City finally does die, it’ll be at the hands of those claiming to be saving it.
@Eoin Roche: SF the party of objectors
@Frankie J: While you’re right Frankie, there are a lot more than MLMD involved in this one.
@Eoin Roche: @Frankie J: they can’t win. Listening to their community in NEIC and they’re seen as just “objecting” for the sake of it. Ignore their community and accused of being rules by anti-Democratic sinister shadowy figures. :-)
@Peter McGlynn: ah the whole listening to the community speil. Tell me when/if SF get into power how are they going to build all these houses etc that there promising once the communities where they plan on building houses objects to them being built. Which we all know will happen.. according to you it’ll be anti democratic to not listen to community.
@Peter McGlynn: it’s the Shinner way. John Brady SF Wicklow objecting again. This following the SF fiasco in Wicklow with Brady to the fore again there.
Even O’Broin, who objected to social housing in his own constituency was forced to back track on the Wicklow stance. The Politburo has directed SF councillors to object to developments left, right and centre to perpetuate the housing crisis in the hope that they’ll actually get into power and then develop 100,000 houses.
@GrumpyAulFella: Emer Higgins, so just one of FGs members, in one instance alone, objected to a planning proposal for Balgaddy-Clonburris 8,500 homes. Sinn Féin are only in the halfpenny place when it comes to this compared to FG and FF.
@GrumpyAulFella: oh right, more lies from you.
For a tool that was constantly complaining about Covid miss information, you certainly have no issues spouting miss information about the Housing Crisis or SF.
who was objecting to housing before 2020 ?
Also while on the subject, who da f was objecting to fixing the health service, increasing nurses ?
The housing crisis is almost a decade old.
Leo has been saying its FG and his top priority since at least since 2017.
In 2017 Leo objected to housing in his own constituency. He even personally submitted an objection.
@Frankie J: The irony of it is that when the occupy Moore Street thing started in the beginning of all of this, Sinn Fein came in and collapsed the whole thing with a “democratic vote”. Now they’re at the forefront trying to stop the development. The only problem they had with occupy Moore Street was that they weren’t in control of it. All about populism for them!
@Eoin Roche: are you guys still trying to save Sackville Street from those mad republicans. they are destroying Dublin by trying to preserve it?
I dont know if you were around in 1966 Eoin, but Id imagine if you were, you must have been on your knees in tears when you learned that Nelsons Pillar came down.
@Roy Dowling: there wont be any land and sites left for the Shinners to build on, since FFG used up land on the ones they built!
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: how many more times are you going to say this.
@Ann Basquille Smith: I’ll say it every time it’s relevant to the conversation, as above. Is that okay with you Ann?
The street is currently a disgrace. There are nearly 10 mobile phone repair shops and about 10 derelict buildings. The street is unsafe and only used as a through-way. It is in desperate need of upgrading and this plan is great. People talk about the culture/history of the street stalls. These street stalls close before 4pm i.e. before people finish work and are useless then.
@Alan Wright: agree. It’s a dive of a street
@Alan Wright: You are 100%correct -Moore St is a total dump right now and definitely not famous all over the world !
@Alan Wright: Dublin Live did a great thing on it yesterday. Give it a watch and learn a thing or 2!
@bob hope: I know the street, I pass it every day. It is almost at the point of total ruin. So many empty/derelict buildings on the verge of collapse. There are like 10 mobile phone repair shops and the same number empty buildings. There is no culture here. I’m all for preservering the 2/3 buildings from 1916, but I believe if the hero’s on the Rising could see what we’ve let this street become, they’d be ashamed of us.
@Alan Wright: Yes you’re right, it shouldn’t have been allowed to fall in to the disrepair and eyesore it’s become by the people who own the buildings, Dublin City Council and the government. Get out on Saturday and support the protest against it!
Street trading like it was is a thing of the past.Punters went to Moore St. for value for money. Unfortunately they can no longer compete with the likes of Aldi and Lidl that’s a fact. Valentines day, Easter,Halloween and Christmas are all catered for by the above at prices a street trader can not compete with.The reality is that those who want to see a revival of street traders in Moore St. are flogging a dead horse. It’s time to move on .
@Christopher Hughes: and personaly I rather buy my fish from a proper shop with food safety regulations and HCAP trained staff not off a stall for flies to feast on and passers-by to cough all over , food safety and street stalls just don’t mix
@Christopher Hughes: Nothing to do with street traders, it’s about the history of the area and the buildings involved!
Sinn Fein says No!!!!!!! Where’d they get that from?????
@Martin O Connell: if you’d read the article you’d see that many groups oppose this.
@Martin O Connell: The people of Ireland.
The people of Ireland have been complaining about the in cest ous FF and FG for a decade now. They have been able to ignore that and get away with it with help from their friends in the media and rte. Big difference now is they can’t ignore what the people are saying when it’s echoed from the opposition.
The real truth will be spoken the next election, I can’t predict the future, but if you lot are not going to listen to the people they ye in for an even bigger shock.
All SF have to do is sit back and watch that 3 ring circus of a Gov self combust over time. Plenty of ‘cracks appearing’ articles already and the ‘electioneering’ hasn’t really even started yet.
@Da Dell: Few cracks appearing on SF these days…
I’m all for remembering the past but that part of the city is an eyesore with lots of dereliction and disrepair. It’s not even an area that is visited by those who are interested in history. I can accept that #16 Moore street has a historical claim to fame as the Alamo for James Connolly and Patrick Pearse but that is just one building in the area.
@Sean: Dublin Live did a thing on it yesterday. Watch, listen and learn!
Without a doubt there is a need to remember important decisions and locations in history, but there is also the need for the city to develop and progress with the future and modern business, we can’t expect to save every building of historic interest or nothing would be built, a commerative statue at the site with a guarantee of it been named in honour of the significance of the site, where was SF when DCC built their offices on top of the largest Viking settlement every found in Europe
@Mark Dawson: SF were Persona Non Grata in Irish politics at the time.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: and when has that ever stopped them over the decades, there is only 1 sentence that they seem to know , we want a United Ireland, after that maybe tiocfaidh ar la , same old sheep in different clothes
@Mark Dawson: Only one sentence you seem to know. … did ya nod off for awhile in the fg attack sf classes ?
@Da Dell: no I got an A Agus Rinne me an teist as Gaeilge Fresin, I’m not a SF supporter nor a FG or FF but I’m entitled to an opinion as you are and I am respectful of that
@Mark Dawson: Yes another hotel and shopping centre is what the city needs!
She would object to salt on chips!!!!! Populist claptrap!!!!
Excellent. The government are using tax payer money fighting the courts on behalf of a private developer against Irish heritage. Mirrors their use of taxpayer money fighting on behalf of Apple against their requirement to pay their fair tax.
Yes, the place is a mess and needs redevelopment, but 79 build to rent? Surely we can insist better than that? Are they REIT’s, Corpo going to rent them back from some foreign investment firm?
They want it preserved, as do most people. It’s a historical place, like ha’penny arch. An board pleanala, DCC giving the city away
@Jonathan Goulding: Preserve what? Honesty, when is the last time you have bought anything from this street, or for that fact, even been on the street? It is completely dilapidated with no soul or even anything cultural or historic. Its dangerous, a no-go at night with buildings actually in such dis-repair they are falling down.
@Alan Wright: Not preserved as is at present. But developed into a proper historical area illustrating the battlefield with re-construction of historical, souvenir, handicraft shops etc to develop tour, exhibition, conference potential
Moore St. badly needs to be upgraded, it’s obsolete ! If we cling on to the past then nothing would ever be renewed.
I give up … This Citys going to the dogs.. sad to see.
We would do well in this challenging time to preserve as many reminders of what happened in the rising and the following years, not destroy them, maybe they will inspire us to rise again.
Moore Street is an absolute dump … it badly needs a 500 mill redevelopment
So yet another new hotel and build to rents which will no doubt be short term tourist rentals. This area of the north inner city, Moore St and Parnell Street, should be renamed Hotel Quarter.
That render looks Ghastly.
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