OCTOBER 7TH, 1964: The ESB's demolition in the 1960s of a row of Georgian houses on Lower Fitzwilliam Street, destroying the longest vista of the periods houses in Dublin, is now widely recognised as among the worst planning decisions made in the city. It was made by Neil Blaney, then Fianna Fáil minister for local government, against the wishes of the city council and a small protest group.
THE MINISTER for Local Government announced yesterday that he had made an order six days ago giving the green light to the ESB to go ahead with the replacing of its block of Georgian houses in Lower Fitzwilliam Street. The effect of the order is to grant permission for the proposed work, subject to a number of conditions which are intended “to have the new street scene more closely integrated to the present vista”.
It was also disclosed yesterday that some time ago the ESB compulsorily acquired the freehold of the premises – Nos. 13-28 Lower Fitzwilliam St – from the Earl of Pembroke. The earl’s estate agent, Mr Michael Vernon, said last evening that the legislature had never intended that the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1927, under which the freehold was acquired, should be used for such a purpose.
The ESB intends to start demolition work in the late spring or early summer. The ESB proposals to demolish the Georgian houses have been widely criticised, and last May the Streets Committee of Dublin Corporation refused by five votes to three to give permission . . . The board then appealed against this decision to the Minister for Local Government, and he has now upheld the appeal, subject to certain conditions.
Mr Edgar Deale, chairman of the ESB Protest Group, said last night that the group would not be making any statement until they were in possession of the facts.
Mr Michael Vernon said that the board had compulsorily acquired the freehold of the premises by virtue of the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1927, Section 45, sub-section 1. “That Act was designed to enable the ESB to acquire pieces of land for such things as transformer stations, sub-stations, etc,” he said. “It was never intended to use it to acquire the freehold of premises of which the board had been lessee as they have been for a great number of years in Fitzwilliam Street. It was never intended to allow them to acquire freehold under the Act, but we have been advised legally that the Act does, possibly through a flaw in the wording, permit them to use the Act in this way.”
In July, 1963, the Minister for Local Government confirmed the general permission given by Dublin Corporation to the ESB for the reconstruction. When the Streets Committee refused to give planning permission to the ESB a year later, it acted on the advice of the corporation . . . who pointed out that the proposed new building would not be in harmony with the surrounding buildings. The official announcement yesterday of the Minister’s order did not give any details of the conditions attached to have the new street scene more closely integrated to the present vista . . .
The buildings which will replace the Georgian buildings have been designed by Messrs Stephenson, Gibney and Associates, architects . . . The ESB said earlier that despite its unremitting efforts to preserve the Georgian houses, professional opinions had confirmed there was no practical alternative to rebuilding.
A similar opinion had been expressed by the late Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the well-known authority on town planning. “The board, while mindful of the aesthetic and historical considerations involved, is bound to consider the growing needs of its business and the safety of the staff and public ,” it said.
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