Save Tallaght’s village streetscape

I agree with you Tamhlacht when you say that that place there is pretty awful. It looks all grey and dirty and lifless, never mind being architecturally insensitive. My question is, though, do you just want the ugly buildings destroyed or dressed up and restyled so they blend in with what is already there?

Because I’m sure if that building was given the same facade as the church with similar-looking windows and external features it would sit a lot better in that picture. I say this bearing in mind that old mills and warehouses with old exteriors have been revamped into fantastic, fairly high-rise(8-9 storeys) centres and apartments around the country.

Maybe what they could do here is the reverse where a new building is made look old unlike the old mills made look new.

Thanks Cathal… this building is less than one year old – what we are hoping for is the streetscape is respected in any newer developments. You are absolutely right when you say old buildings can be sympathetically developed. Clever design would ensure the new looks at home with the old. This has not happened wih any of the new developments in Talaght at all.
Why??

We have been given no answers / explanations as yet. Here is another example of where a new development stands uncomfortably against its historical neighbours.

People would welcome a desigm style which bears witness to its surroundings and respects the existing facades etc.

Any ideas how to achieve this with privately owned buildings?

more images of inapprpriate designs permitted in Tallaght village

Cathal,

This is just the tip of the iceberg in Tallaght – the planners do not appear to want to engage with local “dissenters” and are happy to paint us as “anti development”. Which we are not. We just want to respect the existing historical streetscape and keep the new urban centre as a seperate streetscape which does not erode the village centre. The availability of land should have enabled this – but greed and private developers seems to have other ideas… there is no one championing the village streetscape internally in SDCC.

We are appealing for any assistance professionals can offer us – we are just ordinary residents with no qualifications in architecture – but plenty of business and engineering skills and plenty of passion and energy. We just need some support from professionals to try and influence the planners in SDCC who are working with the developers and are providing the permission for this new developments.

Do you know of any architect / planner who would be in a position to offer us some assistance?
We need to stop this as more land is now being rezoned beside The Priory for ” retails and residental units” i.e more modern designed development eating away at the heart of this village.

I was fairly shocked that to see that building beside the church. I was aware how new it must of beed too as I was infact drawing that very church less than two year ago. The tower dates back to a medieval church on site, while the church you see now is newer, early to mid 19th century. Its one of the first fruits churches design by John Semple. Who design some of dublins finest churches.
it really is a shame to look at that photo.

Bren88,

Could you suggest some other forums / publicatinos where professionals would be interested in seeing this – we are not professionals in the area of architecture – but we appreciate our heritage and want to try and gain support to stop further erosion and to get remedial works done if possible to get this building back in line with its surroundings.

It is a crying shame what is going on…to this and potentially The Priory also in Tallaght village.

Tamhlacht, I’ve been thinking a bit about you wondering about saving Tallght’s village-like quality. Maybe this is a bit of a long-shot, but Treasury Holdings, HKR, O’Mahony Pike and the like are fairly good architectural practices. They are huge with big projects world-wide, but I’m sure if you could pique their interest by saing that it would be good for their image as Irish builders that they help save Ireland’s Capital’s largest suburbs from architectural destruction.

Getting into contact with them with a checklist of what you want, you could builda civic plan where areas are identified for particular restoration, areas for specific styles of building in keeping with what went before and areas for simply a lick of paint and some flower boxes.

Once you have a good plan, I’d then recommend going to the council and seek planning permission.

I’m saying all this with the upcoming Greystones and Bray redevelopments. If you could get a plan like those together for what you need specifically in Tallaght and get it built ,then these architectural atrocities will be averted.