Devin

The effect of the completed hotel (below) is everything feared and worse. The Trim townscape is all about the massive castle and its rampart walls dominating the place, with smaller buildings of the 18th to 21st centuries dotted around outside that. A building of this scale should never have been constructed here!
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From that Indo piece I simply would have taken it that they were just looking for someone to construct the project and maybe design some of the other buildings, other than the U2 Tower.
However if it means the current tower may not necessarily be built, then that is great news imo, because I think the U2 Tower is a crap design and not worthy of a major icon for Dublin.

The DDA have moved across and down the river, to the building marked with the arrow above, at the corner of Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and a new street (no nome yet). According to the newspaper article posted at the start of this thread, their former yoke of an office (left, above) was supposed to have been demolished in “late 2005”, but it’s still there now blocking the north campshire ……. hurry up and knock!

The main structures left now on the south campshire are these two brick warehouses (centre of picture), probably dating to the early-20th century. Although they have a certain local architectural and historical value, it would probably be better to demolish them for the sake of an unobstructed campshire.

Up until recently, the space seen here between the two warehouses was fenced off and people were keeping their boats there (!). But the fencing was removed recently and now you can walk there again.
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There is a problem with the Independent Group reporting of An T. … (perhaps Sir Anthony was appealed!)
The Indo is a rag anyway, and they know it.

See here also:

Over the last year, An Taisce has faced increased political and media attacks on its role in seeking EU Directive and national policy compliance in protecting biodiversity, landscape, architectural and archaeological heritage. Recently this has concentrated on submissions and appeals on inappropriate development in historic city and town centres such as Kilkenny and Cahir; peripheral shopping threatening town centre retail, hotel development and unauthorised sewerage polluting caravan parks. This been orchestrated by vested interests who, very often, control local media, with a number of articles in the newspapers of the Independent Group also reflecting this trend.

An Taisce has not been able to communicate with any effectiveness in the media the fact that submissions made by it at planning application stage to local authorities are simply recommendations for compliance with relevant local and national policies; and any appeals taken to An Bord Pleanala arise only where there is a demonstrable failure to have regard for such policies, or the protection of public safety and public health. Indeed, the majority of appeals in relation to one-off rural houses and consequent refusals by An Bord Pleanala have been taken on public health and drinking water, ground water and surface water contamination grounds.

The stated objectives of the planning system to ensure delivery of sustainable land use and transport, heritage protection and other government policy contrasts with the reality of its implementation at local level where nothing is allowed to conflict with local vested interests. The fact is that contemporary Ireland is in a period of sprawling development. Planning at local level is determined by largely under-resourced local authorities under enormous political, management and vested interest pressure to uncritically accommodate development in all categories from one-off housing, retail and other development. The short-term and the vested local interest is nearly always allowed to prevail over EU Directives on EIA, Water and Habitats; the strategic long-term, the common good and, more explicitly, national planning and sustainability policy.

While Government can then say that there is an independent review procedure through recourse to An Bord Pleanala, and a range of independent Prescribed Bodies, this of course occurs only if an individual, local community or environmental group; or An Taisce or another Prescribed Body, appeals.

What is remarkable is that when an appeal is lodged against a development (based on failure to comply with a particular Government policy), or a refusal decision is then made by An Bord Pleanala (on the basis of that policy), the local political or media attack is not on the Government policy or the idea or protecting public health or public safety, but on the individual or organisation that took the appeal. Because of this, the level of pressure on individuals and organisations who take appeals not to do so or to withdraw appeals, is mounting. Intimidation against anyone raising concern is rife on all categories of development in rural areas, including windfarms, and now increasingly in urban areas.

Assessment of Individual Planning Applications & Taking of An Bord Pleanala Appeals
In terms of direct impact, An Taisce’s most effective intervention in environmental and heritage protection in Ireland is through the exercise of its prescribed status and the use of that status in the manner in which the legislation dating back to 1963, was intended to be used. The political and media perceptions that An Taisce has had to face is that it occupies some sort of privileged position that it is then using to impose an environmental policy of its own concoction, which bears no relation to development needs or the concerns of “real” people. The opposite is in fact the case, since it would be pointless to make submissions on developments on the basis of the particular individual policy of an individual environmental NGO. All submissions and appeals to An Bord Pleanala are taken on the basis of the requirements of which both local authorities and An Bord Pleanala are legally obliged to have regard to in making decisions, namely, European law, National law and Guidelines, local authority development policy and public health and public safety. In comparison to the other State sector and State funded prescribed bodies, the efficiency and input of An Taisce on the planning system is enormous.

Experience has shown that outside the Dublin planning authority areas, the making of a submission to a local authority on a planning application has little impact on the actual Decision or attached Conditions. This is because in a significant number of authority areas, planning applications, both large and small, are already decided by pre-application meetings, telephone calls, or other undocumented communications between the applicant, managers and local councillors. The lodging of the application itself is merely a formality; and even when the professional planners recommend refusal, that recommendation will be overturned. In general, most local authorities use standard ‘cut and paste’ conditions which they are reluctant to alter whether they are for urban or rural applications.

An appeal is taken by An Taisce to An Bord Pleanala only in cases where examination of the application document and the Planner’s Report made on the Decision does not satisfactorily establish that the Decision has complied with the range of considerations which the planning authority is required to have regard to, under the Act, including public health and public safety. It is significant to note that outside the Greater Dublin Area, the majority of appeals taken by An Taisce are on public health and public safety grounds. Within the Greater Dublin Area, the majority of appeals would relate to heritage protection and compliance with the Land Use and Transport provisions of the Regional Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area, in particular concerning curtailment of car-based congestion generating sprawl. None of the many national and local critics of An Taisce’s role in the planning process have ever chosen to examine, let alone address this fact which is overwhelmingly transparent from the reading and analysis of An Bord Pleanala refusals, which are nearly always written with admirable conciseness.

– An Taisce Annual Report, 2006

These 3 new buildings are the best replica-Georgian buildings yet built in Dublin. It’s so refreshing to see it done right, compared to some of the excrement that’s been put in to sensitive Georgian areas over the past 30+ years in the name of ‘Georgian replica’ ….. the DIT college on Mountjoy Square South comes to mind.

And as said the internal room proportions looking onto the square have been maintained, which is important.

I too think it was the only thing that could or should have been done here, especially when see that amazing long, intact terrace of Georgian houses stepping up the west side of the square in Graham’s picture above (but phil I agree with your point that ‘it is possible to add to a historic streetscape without creating reproduction facades’ – just depends on the location).

Well there’s the stuff used in the Pembroke Restaurant posted by paddyinthehouse on the previous page which seems to be a modern form of vitrolite. Something similar is used on the River Island shopfront on Grafton Street and on the Pen Corner opposite the Central Bank.

The picture of the Dunville Pharmacy was taken a few months ago. I’ve forgotten exactly what the black material looked like – matt or shiny – and I can’t tell by viewing the picture at full size either.

The STW sketch of the proposal that appeared in the I.T. Prop. Supp. last Thu looked pretty grim I have to say.

People sit on the bases of these sculptures that have been installed along the street. What does that say? – not enough places to sit down in Dublin.
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