Athlone-based objector stalls €100m rejuvenation of St Stephen's Green shopping centre
Gordon Deegan
The €100 million partial demolition and rejuvenation of ‘iconic landmark’ St Stephen’s Green shopping centre in Dublin has been stalled by an Athlone-based objector.
This follows Oliver Donoghue lodging a third-party appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála against the decision by Dublin City Council, only made last week, giving the contentious project the go-ahead to DTDL Ltd.
The scheme attracted more than 60 submissions, with most opposed to the redevelopment and Donoghue’s appeal is set to be the first of a number to be lodged before the May 18th closing date for appeals.
One objection lodged on behalf of the Save Stephen’s Green Campaign was backed by a petition of 20,000 signatures.
The scheme, through the BKD Architects/O’Donnell + Tuomey collaboration, will have the capacity to accommodate 3,000 office workers, while the retail floor area at the basement, ground and first floor levels will be 19,001 square metres.
In his objection against the centre, Donoghue of Moydrum, Athlone, Co Westmeath, called on the Council to refuse planning permission to the redevelopment, commenting, “we don’t want our history erased”.
In his appeal document lodged with ACP, Donoghue has stated that the permitted scheme, with a gross floor area of approximately 87,158 square metres, which is a substantial net increase over the existing development “represents excessive intensification of a constrained inner-city site”.
He said that the scale and density of the scheme prioritises commercial yield over coherent urban design and spatial quality.
Donoghue also contends that the permitted increase in height—reaching up to 8 storeys will disrupt the established skyline of the historic core; visually compete with protected structures and established landmark buildings and introduce undue visual dominance in long and short-range views.
Donoghue points out that Stephen's Green is a nationally important historic landscape and civic space of exceptional cultural, architectural and social value.
He contends that the permitted development would adversely affect the visual enclosure and character of the Green; introduce an overly bulky and commercial frontage and diminish the architectural coherence of its surrounding streetscape.
Donoghue states that the dominance of office floorspace represents an over-concentration of a single use within a prime city-centre location.
He said that this approach undermines the vitality and diversity of the city core and weakens the traditional retail, cultural and civic function of the area.
Donoghue states that the permitted development sets a significant and undesirable precedent for further intensification in the vicinity of St Stephen's Green and the wider historic core.
He said that if the Council decision is upheld, it risks incremental erosion of historic character and progressive increases in building height and bulk.
In recommending planning permission, the Council planner’s report stated that considered holistically “the deep retrofit of the St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre will result in an improved visitor and retailer experience associated with the centre”.
The council’s planner’s report concluded that the proposed development would be keeping with the civic character of the area and would not detract from the existing amenities of the area.
