More details sought on Carlton site

DUBLIN CITY Council has asked for further information before making a decision on plans for a €1.25 billion redevelopment of a site centred on the former Carlton cinema on O’Connell Street.

Planners have sought the information in relation to 14 aspects of the “Dublin Central” scheme which proposes more than 100 apartments, the same number of shops and a sloping public park at roof level with panoramic views over the city.

Over 20 objections were received to the proposals.

Developer Chartered Land has been asked to supply more details to address the “inherent design challenges” posed by the height of the public space and the need to ensure public access.

Planners also say that access to the sloping garden should be free and open to all.

They say they support the proposal for a civic space facing on to O’Connell Street. However, they want it changed so the design adheres to “sympathetic, restrained, formal and classic proportions expressed in contemporary idiom”.

They also want the proposed retail anchor store which will front on to O’Connell Street to acknowledge the “classic, historic and stone language” of the street by using more natural stone in the facade “in a contemporary idiom”.

In relation to the Moore Street frontage, the planners want more space devoted to ground-floor restaurants and cafes, and larger floor areas to support multi-ethnic food operations.

The developers have also been asked to take account of the concerns of the council’s conservation officer.

This includes his opinion that No 45 O’Connell Street dates from the mid-18th century, and the impact of 10-storey buildings adjacent to Parnell Street on view of Parnell Square and the Rotunda.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

'Sky Park' project falls back to earth

AMBITIOUS plans for the €1.2bn 'Sky Park' redevelopment of a cinema-site have been hit by a delay of up to eight months, after the local authority said it needs a raft of additional information.

Dublin City Council have highlighted concerns about traffic management, parking and the movement of fleets of construction trucks, before it can decide whether or not to grant planning permission.

It also sought assurances that facades facing from the Carlton Cinema site onto O'Connell Street are sympathetic and have "classic proportions".

Parts of the 5.5 acre site, bound by O'Connell Street, Parnell Street, Moore Street and Henry Street, have been lying empty for almost three decades, while the cinema closed 14 years ago.

The plans include 110 retail units, including an anchor retailer on O'Connell Street, 108 apartments, office space, three new public squares and a roof-top restaurant quarter.

The development also includes a centrepiece "Park in the Sky", which will stand 50m above the city streets.

Planning officials have requested further details on this part of the project.

The council has allowed the developer up to six months to provide the extra information. It could then take planning officials anything up to two months to plough through the details.

Breda Heffernan

www.buckplanning.ie