Leinster Lawn expected to be restored during summer recess 2005

[Paul Clerkin]

Leinster Lawn expected to be restored during summer recess

Leinster Lawn, the scenic green space at the rear of Leinster House on Merrion Street, Dublin, is to be restored in full by the autumn.

The lawn was taken up around five years ago and has been used as a surface car- park while re-development work took place on the new Millennium wing of Leinster House and on the nearby Kildare House in Kildare Street.

A spokesman for the Office of Public Works (OPW) confirmed to The Irish Times last night that it was hoped to carry out a restoration of Leinster Lawn during the summer recess.

The spokesman said negotiations were under way with the Houses of the Oireachtas on future parking facilities. He said some parking spaces would be provided but that it was up to the Oireachtas to decide on how these were allocated.

The spokesman confirmed that an earlier plan to develop an underground car-park beneath Leinster Lawn had now been shelved.

Minister for Finance Brian Cowen told the Dáil last week in a written parliamentary reply that the "restoration of Leinster Lawn had been contingent on the completion of the refurbishment of Kildare House for the Houses of the Oireachtas".

"As this project is nearing completion, consultations with the Houses of the Oireachtas have commenced regarding a landscaping scheme to effect the re-instatement of Leinster Lawn and the scheduling of associated works. Works to the lawn could be carried out during this year's summer recess", he said.

Green Party deputy John Gormley, who raised the issue of Leinster Lawn with the Minister , said the area involved was an important civic space and that the people of Dublin did not want to look at it being used "as an ugly car park".

He said initially the lawn had been removed to make way for a car-park "as a temporary measure". However, he said he had had suspicions about just how temporary this facility was to have been. "Putting a car-park on Leinster Lawn sent out the wrong examples."

[vinnyfitz]

What is the source Paul? Which journalist?

I'd love to take this at face value but I'll be astonished if it happens.
My predcition is that a row will now conveniently (i.e. before works start) emerge between the Members of the Oireachtas and the unions for the staff of the Houses as to the split of the lesser number of spaces, leading to deadlock and deferral. They'll just play "pass the parcel" with the blame for inaction.

Mind you, former Senators and TDs who enjoy the free parking when they come into the city centre to do their shopping and lobbying ought get nervous about the loss of their privilege at this stage!

[GrahamH]

Welcome news if it happens.

Why would its restoration be contingent on the refurbishment of Kildare House? Does it have many parking spaces?
And how is a situation of having tens and tens and tens of parking spaces being reduced to presumably nothing going to work on a practical level, whatever about staff & union objections?

[brendan c]

it took the british cabinet minister michael hesteltine over 10 years to remove car parking from the somerset house courtyard in central london. I believe it was civil servants in the inland revenue department that was using it and they dug their heels in and prolonged the whole process.
it has since become a beautiful public place with water fountains during the summer and an ice rink during the winter months. it was only hesteltines extremely firm resolve thst beat them.
I hope that a similar delay does not happen here in kildare house. that would be a shame.

bnc

[PVC King]

Welcome news if it happens.

Why would its restoration be contingent on the refurbishment of Kildare House? Does it have many parking spaces?
And how is a situation of having tens and tens and tens of parking spaces being reduced to presumably nothing going to work on a practical level, whatever about staff & union objections?

Didn't the Dept of Finance introduce benefit in kind on car-spaces last year? If they did I'm sure the unions would be too clever to admit that their members can afford to pay BIK on the 3750 euro each space is worth per year.

I don't say this too often but I welcome this move unreservedly

[Lotts]

Has there been any move on this yet ??

[StephenC]

I havent noticed any work yet...but then the Houses do take a very long summer recess (although obviously individual TDs and senators are constantly working on behalf of their constituents)

[Rockflanders]

Can you imagine going for planning for a city centre office and looking for 1.4 car spaces for every worker?

[mjth2005]

Back in 2002, a practice I worked for in Dublin 2 had this on its drawing desk. I worked for a Landscape Architect - the brief was to propose a landscape deck at entry level with parking at basement level. Surprised it has taken until now to get a mention.

[Michael J. O'Brien]

Where Lotts did you find the digital image of Leinster Lawn?

[Lotts]

Where Lotts did you find the digital image of Leinster Lawn?

There's a digital image of just about everywhere on google earth. You can download the app from here. It is brilliant. You'll waste hours zooming all around the place!

[DublinLimerick]

Just downloaded Google Earth. However, the sat images do not appear to be up to date - am I wrong on this?

[GrahamH]

So that's where Government Buildings' helipad is

The image really shows what a perfect site Govt Buildings is for security - very secure on all three sides, with just the ceremonial street facade 'exposed'.

Also highlights how rather ridiculous the Leinster House podium is to the front - should be removed I think, not least the ubiquitous local authority concrete planters

[Paul Clerkin]

Poor Kildare Place - just big trees obscuring nice facade of NMI... and a shite wall and the &*^%*%$ Dept of Ag

[fergalr]

Well....the redevelopement went well, didn't it!?

[notjim]

Surely something could be done about Kildare Place; what's behind that shite wall; couldn't it be removed?

[fergalr]

A route through to Merrion Street would be a start. Otherwise there's the hikes down and around by Nassau St or Stephen's Green.

Some sort of plaze would be nice, and the museum could open the back entrance to their building.
And raze the Dept of Argiculture.

[GrahamH]

The gates were wide open the other day and there was a little stone building with sash windowss, located what seemed to be right in behind the gates but cetainly closer than Govt Buildings itself.

This fjp image shows the considerable distance between the main complex and the Kildare Place wall which is nearly half way up the facade of the Museum. Een here you can see there's quite a clutter of structures in there:

http://fantasyjackpalance.com/fjp/photos/kf/aerial/002/government-building-aerial.jpg


What a different atmosphere Kildare Place would have with these two houses as featured in the Destruction of Dublin, demolished in 1957:



McDonald describes the replacement brown brick wall has 'hideous' - I think it has assumed a certain appeal at this stage...
Not that it shouldn't be knocked in the morning of course; there's great potential for this public space that should be realised.

[phil]

There was an application for planning permission in today's Irish Times to demolish what is being referred to as a 'shop' at Leinster House and replace it with a new structure. Does anyone know what this is referring to? I couldn't think of what it was. Anyway, I thought it might be on interest to some of the forum members. The details are quoted below:

Location: Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Proposed development: demolish shop at Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, a protected structure, and construct a single storey shop within a glass pavilion. Plans and particulars are available for inspection at the OPW, Project Management Services, 51 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. Applicant: OPW Project Management. Irish Times

[StephenC]

Hmm thats interesting. I dont know of any "shop", perhaps the plans refer to the remaining security hut at the Kildare Street entrance. It would make sense that this be demolished and replaced by a glass pavillion in keeping with the new entry beside it. I imagine the words "protected structure" refer to Leinster House itself.

No sign of any grass sprouting up through that carpark yet....

[PVC King]

Well selected points Stephen

A planning condition for these works presuming that they are acceptable should be that the front lawn be re-instated prior to any other works commencing

[phil]

These are good point both of you make. They seem determined to create a sleek image on the Kildare Street side whilst what should be a Lawn on the Merrion Square side remains a car-park.

[Paul Clerkin]

Time for a little bit of pressure....

[GrahamH]

Absolutely, and a timely revival of this thread, being precisely a year old. Ludicrously the title could refer to the present!
What is holding up this project?!! (aside from the obvious). Or is it just that - the obvious?

Yes the 'shop' more than likely refers to the 50s/60s security hut to the front. So the use of glass transforms a hut into a 'pavilion' does it? Well you learn something new every day...


Just on those two Georgians on Kildare Place...




...where exactly were they sited? Looking at Lotts' picture below, and going on the description of being 'replaced' by the brown wall, surely they must have overlapped the facade of the much later National Museum if they once stood on this spot?

[StephenC]

Should we clarify the title with 2001 seeing as this is the 6th year of these nasty landscaping works on the South Lawn