TLM

I think we already knew this but further confirmation –

John Lewis Partnership Plc, owner of the largest U.K. department-store chain, will spend €50 million to open its first foreign outlet in the Irish Republic.

The five-floor store will be located in Dublin on O’Connell Street, the city’s main avenue, London-based John Lewis said today in an e-mailed statement. It expects to open the outlet in 2013.

John Lewis, which runs 27 U.K. department stores, already has plans to open an outlet near Lisburn in Northern Ireland. The retailer aims to double in size in the next decade.

From the Independent.

I agree BTH … the cons far outweight the pros on this one in my view.

The original design was meant to echo the Burren landscape and I think if it had been built as drawn in the original design (as posted by JoePublic) it would have looked interesting. Unfortunately looks pretty pathetic from the photos above though..

Would these works affect the Dublin Bus building on the street?

Decision on Arnotts site delayed

A planning decision on a revamp of one of Dublin city centre’s busy shopping areas has been delayed.

An announcement on the scheme spearheaded by Arnotts was expected yesterday but An Bord Pleanála said the deadline had been put back due to the volume of work, with a new date not yet fixed.

The department store aims to transform the area in a proposal backed by Dublin City Council but appealed by a number of objectors.

If successful, the €750 million plan would create a new shopping, entertainment and residential zone, called the “Northern Quarter”, on a 5.5-acre site with new shops, restaurants, apartments and an hotel.

A spokesman for An Bord Pleanála said: “I don’t see that decision being made this week, and I don’t see it being made next week under any circumstances. I don’t see anything happening for the next five to seven working days.

“It’s the volume of work beating the board at the minute,” he said.

Under the plans, it is intended an area bounded by Henry Street, O’Connell Street, Abbey Street and Liffey Street will be regenerated as a shopping and entertainment zone in a three-year redevelopment plan.

Eight appeals to the planning have come from various parties – including An Post, An Taisce and the Railway Procurement Agency.

It’s good that this plan would bring some life to these streets and Liffey Street in particular can only get better, but given the importance of this area I think the standard of architecture in what is proposed is too low.

Here’s the full text…. The developer was announced yesterday so hopefully things will get moving shortly.

Restaurateur Patrick Guilbaud and the team behind food -emporium and restaurant Fallon & Byrne are understood to be in discussions to be potential tenants for the Victorian Fruit and Vegetable Market in Dublin’s north inner city when it is redeveloped.

The developer chosen by Dublin City Council to transform the wholesale market located between the Four Courts and Capel Street, just to the north of the river Liffey, into a new retail development was announced yesterday, almost three years after the plans to redevelop the market were first published by former city manager, John Fitzgerald.

The Markets Regeneration Consortium is the council’s preferred bidder and hopes to shortly sign contracts. The consortium is 50 per cent owned by Blackrock International Land, the property arm of Fyffes, 25 per cent by car dealer turned developer, Joe Linders and the remaining 25 per cent by developer Paddy Kelly.

It is understood that the fruit and vegetable market will remain as a market hall, with most of the new business devoted to retail and a smaller wholesale offering.

A new culinary school is also planned, which will possibly have involvement from Patrick Guilbaud, while Fallon & Byrne have been identified as possible anchor tenants for the market.

Next door on the old fish market site there will be apartments and an open square, with some office and retail space. An underground car park with about 300 spaces is also planned for the area.

Approximately 34 predominantly wholesale traders selling fruit, vegetables and flowers are currently tenants of the council in the market.

A spokesman for the Dublin Market Traders’ Association, which represents the majority of the traders, said last night that neither the consortium nor the council had made any approach to them in relation to their future in the market.

The majority of traders have been renting pitches from the council for decades, with businesses passed down through some families for more than 100 years.

© 2008 The Irish Times

Any opinions on or pictures of the revamped Findlater House?

I agree finishing some of the central stations and airport to a higher degree with the same finish to the rest to follow if / when more funding is available might be a good option.

Some stations in London such as Westminster are well finished but most of the others are hardly works of art and people don’t seem to mind too much.

I agree we should be getting rid of all traffic from this area … banning private motorists would be a good step forward though … this has to go ahead!