Johnny Ronan group questions housing absence from planned €100m Stephen's Green revamp

Gordon Deegan

Johnny Ronan’s property group has questioned the absence of residential units from the planned €100 million rejuvenation of St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre in Dublin.

In a submission concerning the planning application by DTDL Ltd, ceo of the Ronan Group, Rory Williams has told the council that “the redevelopment of a highly accessible city-centre site without provision for residential use raises questions as to whether the proposal adequately supports compact growth objectives and the delivery of a living city”.

Mr Williams has told the Council that the inclusion of residential use in the scheme “would provide a stable, long-term occupation of the city centre site and contribute to its social and economic resilience”.

As part of a five page submission by the Ronan Group, Mr Williams states that the employment-led scheme with all upper floors dedicated to office accommodation “delivers functional intensity but does not meaningfully contribute to permanent population or residential presence in the city centre”.

In total, the council has received 58 submissions, with the bulk of those opposed to the application.

In December, owners of the centre, DTDL Ltd lodged revised plans for the redevelopment of the landmark shopping centre five months after An Coimiúsin Pleanála refused planning permission for its €100 million revamp.

The designers of the scheme state that the revised proposal will make an enduring contribution to the city's built environment, setting a new benchmark for brownfield regeneration in the heart of Dublin through its “exemplar standard of urban design”.

The newly designed scheme through the BKD Architects/O’Donnell + Tuomey collaboration will have capacity to accommodate 3,000 office workers while the retail floor area at basement, ground and first floor levels will be 19,001 sq.m.

In a blow however to the revised rejuvenation scheme two of three parties, An Taisce and author and former Irish Times journalist, Frank McDonald, who successfully appealed to An Coimisúin Pleanála Dublin City Council’s grant of permission in December 2023 to the original €100 million scheme, have outlined their opposition to the new plan in comprehensive submissions.

In a hard hitting objection, Rhona Ní Fhógartaigh has told the council to please retain the existing St Stephen’s Green Centre and refuse planning permission for its destruction or any significant structural alteration "that would render it unrecognisable, ugly, derivative, uninspiring, boring, light-impacting and overbearingly dominant in a key area of town”.

Ms ní Fhógartaigh said that what is planned is against the wishes of Dublin people.

She says: “This is our city. We love the area of St Stephen’s Green and Grafton Street.

"We love the existing St Stephen’s Green Centre….Destroying a beautiful landmark building is not in our interests and not what we want, especially when the reason for doing so is solely to line the pockets of the developers with rental income from new offices proposed, while also reducing the existing amenity of the centre. The proposed redevelopment is shocking to the eye and mind”.

Member of Dublin City Council, Cllr Claire Byrne (Green Party) has told the council that the proposed replacement building is generic in nature, has already been refused and would further erode Dublin's architectural character and heritage.

Cllr Byrne said that the city “is increasingly becoming a homogenous streetscape of uniform modern developments”.

A decision is due on the application later this month.