Lord Mayor calls for vote on Abbey relocation

Lord Mayor of Dublin Michael Conaghan has called for Dubliners to be consulted on whether the Abbey Theatre should be relocated to the Carlton cinema site on O'Connell Street.

Cllr Conaghan's comments came after the High Court rejected a challenge by a member of the Carlton Group to a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) made by Dublin City Council.

"Among Dubliners, it is clear that the Carlton site is a favourite for the Abbey Theatre," he said. "The City Council should look to conduct a poll to validate this. It is time that this decision, which has dragged on and on, was now a priority for the Government."

The Carlton Group secured planning permission to develop the site in late 1999, but Dublin City Council made the CPO in December 2001, claiming it had come to the view that the Carlton Group did not have the finance or development expertise for the project.

Yesterday's decision by the High Court to uphold the CPO has opened the way for the relocation of the Abbey Theatre to the prime site on O'Connell Street.

Cllr Conaghan has made clear his support for the move. "With all the regeneration being carried out by Dublin City Council, locating the Abbey in the Carlton would be a wonderful inclusion," he said.

"It would powerfully endorse the process of restoring O'Connell Street back to its original character and status as one of the great thoroughfares of Europe."