Devin

I wouldn’t agree with Kevin Myers on much, but he wrote a very funny ‘Irishman’s Diary’ a while back, saying that PVC window fitters attend special de-sensitivity courses before going on to fit PVC.

I think the reporter who wrote that piece quoted by Jas (it doesn’t say which paper) was tarting up the quotes from an taisce a bit; after years of lobbying by people like an taisc & the irish georgian soceity there’s already a system in place (the Planning and Development Act 2000) to ensure that, over time, listed buildings with PVC or other replacement windows are refitted with the correct design (usually sliding sash).

When the owner of a Protected Structure or building in an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) (Planning Authorities have been dreadfully slow to designate ACAs – as far as I know the O’Connell Street IAP area is still the only one in the republic) with replacement windows applies for planning permission for any work – such as an extension to the rear – the planning permission, if given, should include a condition that ‘prior to commencement of the development, the applicant shall submit a written agreement to the planning authority for the restoration of the original window design’.

But in the Dublin area, I’ve noticed, people usually want to do that anyway. In places like Ranelagh and Clontarf, they’re removing PVC and reinstating sashes like crazy!

Hate to say it but outside of Dublin beautiful old overhanging sash windows are still being replaced by flat shiny white PVC on a daily basis. It just kills the character of the building in one fell swoop.

Some towns, like Kilkenny and Drogheda still have a good half or more of sash windows in their old buildings, but sadly most towns – Kenmare, Longford, Strokestown, Castlebar, Thurles… – have been blitzed with PVC and the wooden sash is almost extinct.

is that a trick question? DCC i thought. but did the DCC architects dept. just coordinate the whole thing and somebody else designed the extension?

Cycling in Dublin is just not pleasant any more because the roads are saturated with traffic all day long. Many who would cycle don’t because of the traffic volume. And not because it’s too dangerous, but because of the dirt, noise, fumes and general irritation of cycling in chronic traffic. A letter in the paper recently about commuting by bike in Dublin described the cyclist as arriving at his destination a “sweating, frustrated mess”.

Cycle lane networks are fine, but if the lanes are right beside the traffic, then it doesn’t make much difference to these problems, with the end result that cycling figures do not increase and people stay in their cars.

What is needed in Dublin is proper, separated cycle lane networks like in Amsterdam and Cophenhagen. Then the cycling figures would shoot up. In those cities men and women breeze around on bikes in office clothes, barely breaking a sweat.

the pole, that is

Speaking of Cork generally, is there any sign of the Merchant’s Quay Centre being redeveloped, or even refaced?

That would be a coup, to get a good-looking replacement for one of the most prominent (but awful) buildings in Cork.

I would guess that the pole thing is included as a generic replacement for the Nelson Pillar, before the Spire was decided (i. e. before December 1998). But they are way off with its positioning. From this vantage point today, the Spire would appear much closer to Liberty Hall.

Originally posted by FIN
i actually agree with u devin. it is horrible.

Well An Taisce – for better or for worse – is actually trying to do something about it

Originally posted by FIN but unfortunately the euro is the decisive factor here. we can’t really tell them to spend more money but it is our job to give them better architecture for the money they are spending.

It’s not just about architecture or how well a house sits in its surroundings. Traffic generated by one-off housing in the surrounding countryside means that the main streets of every Irish town (the daytime ‘service centres’ for one-offs) are bumper to bumper with traffic all day long – they have become unliveable places, thus increasing pressure for one-offs. Ireland is locked into this vicious circle of bad planning, and the government are not doing anything about it. This will store up huge social, economic and environmental problems for future generations.

Sadly, the only people you find living in town centres now (excluding the large towns and cities) are non-nationals.

Section 140s can be appealed. But planning in Kerry – where Section 140 is most abused – has collapsed . For somebody like An Taise, better off concentrating on somewhere that hasn’t already been wrecked, like the upper Shannon region.

All around Clifden in Galway is absolutely appalling too, and huge, awful stuff is still being built there. I know what “outsider” Llyod Weber meant when he said that we have some of the most hideous and inappropriate housing anywhere in the world.

Its all about mobility. I hope the oil runs out soon. just a personal view

Didn’t hear that radio discussion

I tried to download it but it asked cfor redit card details, even though it said the free sample of the necessary software was enough to hear the programme

Well I can’t really comment on Douglas because I don’t have the local knowledge, but I know that Cork city centre is a special place and that new development there should be of high urban design quality.

I don’t know what the schemes that were refused for Cork city were like, but I did notice that, in all his moaning and sobbing, lexington never once stated the grounds of objection (or refusal) for his schemes. Was it scale? exceedence of recommended plot ratio? architectural design? impact on older buildings? traffic generation? Only once he said something about old warehouses.