Madam, – The decision by Minister for the Environment John Gormley, to appoint an inspector to review Dublin City Council’s planning performance on foot of an An Taisce dossier is to be welcomed. (Frank McDonald, Home News, July 5th).
The chequered history of the Carlton site is certainly worth investigating. This site, that includes the National Monument at No 14 to 17 Moore Street, was subject to a compulsory purchase order in 2003 so that redevelopment would be pursued “through the means of public-private partnership involving a transparent and open competitive bid process”.
Inexplicably, this never happened. For reasons that remain unclear, the entire site – despite its compulsory purchase status – was handed over to the present owner without the knowledge of any of our public representatives on foot of a contract drawn up behind closed doors. It is our understanding that pre-planning discussions were held with the owner/developer of the site to ensure that he was aware of the legal implications pertaining to the preservation and conservation of the National Monument.
Despite this, a plan has been approved that sees the demolition of protected structures and the appropriation of up to 60 per cent of its designated area for private commercial use. This appears to be of no concern to those entrusted with the proper planning and development of our capital city. Further, the very Minister charged with protecting our heritage and history is being asked to consent to this preposterous proposal.
At present work is being undertaken on the monument without appropriate State supervision or input of any kind. This is extraordinary given that No 16 Moore Street is to be restored as an interpretive centre and linked to the refurbished GPO as part of the Programme for Government 2007-2012.
It is now time for the State to act on its undertaking under Preservation Order No 1 of 2007 to ensure that the 1916 National Monument in its entirety is held in trust for future generations. – Yours, etc,