Re: Re: Bewleys

@press release wrote:

Press Release
On behalf of Save Bewley’s Cafes Campaign
5th May 2005

The Lord Mayor of Dublin on behalf of the Save Bewley’s Cafes Campaign is delighted with the decision of Miss Justice Carroll today at the High Court refusing to grant the injunction sought by Treasury Holdings/Ickendel against Campbell Bewley Group to stop work from proceeding at the Grafton Street café.
If such an injunction had been granted, it would have prevented the opening of the café on May 17th and would have jeopardised the entire project.

In his final submission, Mr. Hanratty S.C. for CBC said “The proceedings were not motivated by any interest in the heritage of the property but were brought to put pressure on the defendant to give up the lease”. It was made known in court that Treasury Holdings/Ickendel had been prepared to pay 6 million euros to acquire the lease.

The Save Bewley’s Cafes Campaign warmly welcomes the imminent reopening of Bewley’s on Grafton Street. We have held several meetings with the new management team and they have assured us that they intend to restore the café in a manner consistent with the traditional café prior to restorations of the late 1990s. They have also given an undertaking that the unique ethos of Bewley’s with its principals of social inclusion, welcoming people of all ages and social classes, will be maintained.

Our campaign to restore the Westmoreland Street branch of Bewley’s continues. We have lodged an extensive appeal with An Bord Pleanala. If the legislation promulgated in the Planning and Development Act 2000 protecting the “special historic, social and cultural interests” of both of these protected structures is not implemented and indeed strengthened by Dublin City Council we could find ourselves in a similar situation in the future. We have triggered a mechanism with the City Council to ensure that the above special interests of the Bewley’s Cafes are protected. This provision comes before Dublin City Council on Monday May 9th 2005.

Councillor Michael Conaghan
Lord Mayor of Dublin

Entirely consistent with previous works sanctioned under the same lease it would appear