Council renews efforts to move Abbey Theatre to Carlton site

Members of Dublin City Council have renewed efforts to have the Abbey Theatre moved to the old Carlton Cinema site in O'Connell Street, ahead of a High Court decision on the Carlton's compulsory purchase later this month.

Councillors this week unanimously supported a motion calling on the Government to "take all necessary steps" to locate the National Theatre at the site of the disused cinema.

The Carlton site had been earmarked as a possible new home for the Abbey four years ago, when the council issued a compulsory purchase order for the property to the Carlton Group.

However, the Carlton Group challenged the order, leading to a protracted legal battle with the council. The case came before the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan, at the start of last year. He reserved judgment on March 5th and has yet to make a determination.

The legal delays led the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, to shelve plans to move the Abbey to O'Connell Street. Three other potential sites emerged: Hawkins House on Poolbeg Street, current home of the Department of Health; a site on Infirmary Road; and the former Christian Brothers' school Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square. Coláiste Mhuire was already in State ownership, was unoccupied and, unlike the Infirmary Road site (also State-owned), it was in the city centre.

However, negotiations for the acquisition of buildings adjacent to the school, which would have formed part of the theatre site, broke down last month because, Mr O'Donoghue said, the vendors were seeking a sum in excess of what the Department considered a fair market price.

With a court decision due in a matter of weeks, the Carlton site could once again be the favourite. A spokeswoman for Mr O'Donoghue yesterday said the Carlton site "had never been ruled out".