Dublin City Council to use CPO's to Facilitate Arnotts "Northern Quarter" Plan

Dublin City Council (DCC) is planning to use compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to forcibly acquire properties to facilitate the development of the Northern Quarter retail scheme planned by Arnotts for Henry Street in Dublin city centre.

The council said its is proposing to initiate a CPO to allow Arnotts acquire "some properties not yet acquired by the developer, the perfection of title where required and the extinguishment of rights of way over certain laneways/ roadway. The CPO will have regard to the final decision on the planning application. All costs incurred by DCC will be underwritten by the developer."

The €750m Northern Quarter plan has been given planning permission by An Bord Pleanála, which has told Arnotts to lower the heights of many of the buildings proposed and halve the number of proposed car spaces.

Arnotts had originally proposed developing a new department store, 47 shops, 14 cafes, restaurants and bars, around 175 apartments and a 149-bedroom four-star hotel on the 5.5-acre site it has assembled by buying surrounding properties. It has also bought properties on nearby Liffey Street, including the K2 bar, for about €10m.

Arnotts had planned to relocate to the former Debenhams unit in Jervis Street shopping centre during the redevelopment but it is now looking at moving to another location.

The decision to use a CPO for Northern Quarter will revive memories of the council's decision to CPO the nearby Carlton cinema and adjoining sites which held up development of the area for seven years.

Developer Joe O'Reilly has since bought the site and a large number of surrounding properties and is planning a major rival development to Northern Quarter on the site.

Recently, the developer secured planning permission for a part of the €1.25bn redevelopment when he was granted plan­ning permission to demolish the Royal Dublin Hotel, which he bought for €30m.

He will now be able to develop more than 1,100sq m of shops, a gallery and more than 2,500sq m of office space. His scheme, currently dubbed Dublin Central, will be anchored by Dublin department store John Lewis.




Source:

Sunday Tribune, Neil Callanan July 13, 2008

http://www.tribune.ie/business/article/2008/jul/13/council-to-use-cpos-to-help-arnotts-with-750m-henr/

GPO to face major alteration by Office of Public Works

Plans being drawn up by architects in the Office of Public Works (OPW) envisage demolishing part of the building to create a glazed courtyard to the rear, two-thirds the size of the Upper Yard of Dublin Castle.

The two existing courtyards within the GPO are "rather mean", according to a spokesman, so the plan is to demolish the cross-block between them and create a much more impressive civic space.

Beneath this courtyard, there would be a vast concourse - "something like the Louvre rather than Clery's basement" - which would be accessible from the front and sides of the building.

The concept being worked on is to retain the existing post office, but reconfigure it to create a processional route from the neoclassical portico on O'Connell Street to the courtyard and concourse.

"This could become the 'front room of the nation' within a building that's central to the foundation of the State," the OPW spokesman said. "It could even be used for presidential inaugurations."

Traditionally, presidents have been inaugurated in St Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle, "with 500 people crammed in, so it would be lovely to have these ceremonies in a space that could accommodate 2,000".

The proposed concourse beneath the courtyard would be a large, column-free exhibition space similar to the central concourse of the Louvre museum, with roof lights above to flood it with natural light.

Apart from a 1916 museum, it would contain a philately museum and possibly also a museum of Dublin. A working group headed by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism is examining the options.

The National Museum is advising on the content of the 1916 museum, which is likely to be broader than the Rising itself and its aftermath, but it is likely that professional exhibition designers will also be involved.

It is envisaged that shops would be installed at ground level, along the Prince's Street frontage of the building, to complement plans by Arnott's for a major redevelopment of this "back street" area.

The proposal to demolish the cross-block, which is located halfway between the front of the building and the GPO arcade, means that many of An Post's 1,000 staff will have to relocate to other offices.

However, the OPW spokesman emphasised that the GPO would continue to house the "headquarters function" of An Post as well as the post office, which dates from 1814 and was rebuilt in the 1920s.

The OPW's in-house design team is headed by assistant principal architect Michael Haugh, with Charles Moore as project architect, and overseen by commissioner David Byers, who is also an architect.

The sketch scheme they are preparing is expected to be presented to the Cabinet in May, with a view to getting approval to proceed to planning application stage and finish the building work by 2013.



Comment: This proposal, designed to "complement" plans by Arnotts for the creation of a huge Henry Street / Mary Street / Princes Street store, will involve a fundamental alteration of the GPO, one of Dublin's most famous and historic monuments.
In 2006, Arnotts unveiled its plans to "transform" the area of Dublin City Centre bounded by Henry Street, O’Connell Street, Abbey Street and Liffey Street. The area, branded as the "Northern Quarter," will be redeveloped into a new shopping and entertainment area complete with 47 new shops, 17 new cafes, restaurants and bars, 189 apartments and a 152 bed four star hotel.
The question is, why is the proposal to alter the GPO, being made at this point? Planning permission was granted for the Arnotts development, but was appealed to An Bord Pleanala by a number of parties, including An Post and An Taisce. The planning board has not yet announced its decision, but Arnotts seem to be confident that the proposals will be upheld.

In terms of the OPW's proposals for the GPO, the concept of a so-called 'processional way' through the existing structure into a new Dublin square, which will be carved out of the GPO's two existing courtyards should simply not be permitted. Historic buildings are protected structures and this type of invasive development should not be permitted.

Source:

© 2008 The Irish Times
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0324/1206144654457.html

High Court Appeal Against Poolbeg Incinerator

The Combined Residents Against Incineration (CRAI) group has taken the first steps in a High Court appeal against the decision to grant planning permission for an incinerator in Poolbeg, in Dublin.

The organisation lodged papers with the High Court initiating an appeal against the Minister for the Environment, the Attorney General, Dublin City Council and An Bord Pleanála.

In the summons, the organisation cites a number of claims including that Ireland has failed to transpose its obligations under European Council directives, in particular the Arhaus Directive, into Irish law.

CRAI also says it is entitled to have access to a review proceedure to challenge the legality of an Bord Pleanála's decision to grant permission for the incinerator.

The defendants in the case have 21 days to respond.

Reference:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0123/incinerator.html?rss