Foster in firing line over U2 Tower

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The never-ending controversy surrounding the proposed U2 tower in Dublin has taken yet another twist The never-ending controversy surrounding the proposed U2 tower in Dublin has taken yet another twist after conservationists warned of potential legal action over the latest plans by Foster + Partners. An Taisce, the National Trust of Ireland, said it had ‘serious concerns about the behind-the-scenes process’ adopted by landowner Dublin Docklands Development Agency (DDDA), which picked the 120m-tall scheme by Foster following a developer-led contest last month. The trust is claiming that neither itself nor the public has been consulted on the new tower, and that it has not seen any environmental impact assessment reports – even though the scheme could have a detrimental impact on the city and is 40m-taller than previous ditched proposals by Dublin-based Craig Henry Architects and Burdon Dunne Architects. Such reports had been supplied to support the DDDA’s original masterplan for the area, however a trust spokesman told the AJ he feared the ‘dramatically different’ proposals could be given the go-ahead without either renewed consultation or a revised environmental statement, because of the authority’s special planning powers.

AJ