The fate of the National Concert Hall's proposed new recital hall on Earlsfort Terrace continues to fluctuate writes Michael Dervan. Conservation interests, having swayed Dublin City Council to consider the historic real tennis court, bequeathed to the State by Lord Iveagh, a List 1 listed building (in the amendments to the 1998 draft development plan), found their endeavours undone on Monday, when the building was downgraded to List 2 status. Neither the uniqueness of the building nor the long-unheeded wishes of Lord Iveagh (who always wished it to remain a tennis court), prevailed in the face of a submission from the Office of Public Works, which, on behalf of the NCH, has drawn up the conversion plans.

The latest planning application remains the subject of an appeal to An Bord Pleanala by the Irish Real Tennis Association, and the board has decided that there will be an oral hearing on the matter. An Taisce's view is that the case presented by the IRTA is "persuasive about the importance of Lord Iveagh's real tennis court and the desirability of preserving it". The risks for the music world are that if the conversion goes ahead, the new venue would be regarded by politicians as fully addressing the need for both small and medium-sized dedicated music venues in the capital. The next stage in the ongoing process is the oral hearing, provisionally scheduled for March 31st.