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An Bord Pleanála is due to decide soon on controversial plans
to replace five individual shop buildings on the corner of
Henry Street and O’Connell Street, in Dublin city centre,
with a single retail unit suitable for a chain store.
One of the principal arguments made by appellants against
Dublin City Council’s decision to grant permission for the
scheme is that it would result in the demolition or significant
alteration of buildings that were present during the 1916
Rising.
The plan, submitted by Percy Nominees - a pension fund run
by Allied Irish Investment Managers - would involve demolishing
numbers 32 and 33 Henry Street and the partial demolition
of 31 Henry Street, as well as 68 and 69 O’Connell Street
Upper.
Two of the Henry Street buildings, dating from the 18th and
19th centuries, would be replaced by a three-storey retail
unit described by objectors as “bland” and “monolithic”, while
the O’Connell Street buildings would be stripped of their
painted render.
“This proposal will entail squeezing out five smaller retailers
which are currently trading and employing between 20 and 30
people directly and also others in security, cleaning and
local supplies,” said Colm Sorensen, managing director of
Butlers Chocolates, one of the shops affected.
“The thought of demolishing 18th and 19th-century buildings
that survived and witnessed the 1916 Rising, simply because
they have been slightly altered over the years, is preposterous
and completely misses the point of the preservation of heritage
sites.
“It is accepted that it is the job of pension funds to maximise
the value of their assets and it is the job of architects
to serve their clients. It is hoped that it is the job of
planners to recognise this and to protect this most historic
architectural conservation area,” he said.
An Taisce, which has also appealed against the council’s
decision, noted that the site is “one of the most prominent
locations in the city centre, next door to the GPO and the
Spire” - as well as being part of the O’Connell Street Architectural
Conservation Area (ACA).
“By removing two reusable historic buildings of character
and merit in order to create a large retail unit, the proposal
would weaken and undermine the special architectural character
of the area which the ACA sets out to protect,” according
to Kevin Duff of An Taisce.
Manahan Planners, acting for Korkys and the Body Shop - located
in GPO Buildings on Henry Street - said the scheme would “destroy
the existing ‘local sense of place’ built up by largely
local traders over many decades in favour of an ‘anywhere’
retail proposal”.
Planning consultants John Spain Associates argued on behalf
of the applicants that Dublin City Council’s policy to withstand
competition from out-of-town shopping centres is to facilitate
the creation of larger units in the city centre for “higher-order
retailing”.
Their submission included a report by real estate consultants
Colliers International, supporting the development. However,
David Fitzsimons, chief executive of Retail Excellence Ireland,
said this report “promotes a retail planning template which
has in fact failed in the UK”.
Mr Sorensen noted that the recent review of the state of
UK high streets, compiled for the British government by retail
expert Mary Portas, referred to 'Clone Town Britain'
where every street looked the same and the “unique DNA of
our towns” was being lost.
Source - The Irish Times
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