An Taisce and residents in Sandymount, Dublin, have called on the Presbyterian Residential Trust to retain the 19th-century Presbyterian church at Tritonville Road following an independent report which showed the building to be structurally sound.
The trust has sought permission to demolish the building to make way for an additional 14 sheltered units and eight two-bedroom apartments. The trust operates sheltered housing behind the church, which has not been used for services for several years. It claimed that due to dry rot and a crack in the structure, the building was unsound and should be demolished.
But an architect's report commissioned by local residents found the building in good structural condition with no evidence of either wet or dry rot. The report concludes: "The building, although neglected for several years, is in good structural condition and certainly not in any immediate danger and does not warrant demolition and replacement."
The report estimates the cost of essential repairs at £60,000 to £75,000 and the cost of conversion in keeping with its design and former use at £600,000 to £7000,000.