DUBLIN CITY Council is to seek approval next week for a plan to pump 350 million litres of water per day from the river Shannon to serve the capital’s drinking water needs for the next 70 years.
Councillors will be asked by the city manager to endorse the scheme, – which will cost about €500 million – and are expected to do so, before seeking Government approval and permission from An Bord Pleanála. However, it does not require the permission of any local authority in the Shannon region.
The proposal was one of several options put forward in a 2006 report commissioned by the council from consultant engineers RPS to meet the Dublin region’s ever-growing demands for water.
The Dublin region, which encompasses parts of Kildare and Wicklow, uses about 540 million litres a day, but is only able to produce 518 million litres.
The council is working to increase the capacity of its own water facilities, but says it needs the new source if it is to meet rising demands.
Dublin city manager John Tierney said yesterday the new water source would not only serve household water needs, but would be vital to attracting businesses to the region.
The Shannon proposal has met strong opposition from communities in the region, and local and national politicians – including Westmeath-based Fianna Fáil TD, Mary O’Rourke, who in 2007 described the proposal as a “rape of our water”.
The Shannon Protection Alliance group, which includes boating enthusiasts, anglers and farmers, was also established to oppose the scheme.
Several proposals for taking water from the Shannon for Dublin have been considered, but the one expected to be put to city councillors involves piping water from one of the Shannon lakes to a disused Bord na Móna bog in the midlands, where it would be stored in the form of an artificial lake, from where water would be taken by pipe to Dublin.
Mr Tierney said the Shannon was a national resource. “We see this as a national project. If water is brought from the Shannon to Dublin it will provide for economic growth. Dublin is crucially important as the economic driver of the country.”
The abstraction of 350 million litres of water daily from the Shannon would have no detrimental effects on the river or on water supplies for counties surrounding the Shannon, Mr Tierney added.
“The 350 million litres represents a maximum of just 3 per cent of the water flowing out of the Shannon water sources every day,” he said.
Due to the scale of the project, it is likely to be 2020 before it would be completed. The capacity of the city’s largest reservoir at Ballymore Eustace is due to increase from 275 million litres to 318 million by the end of this year. A project is also under way to increase the capacity of the Leixlip reservoir.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Monday, 12 July 2010
Singer to develop €5m nursing home
WESTLIFE SINGER Shane Filan and his brother Finbar are to develop a €5 million nursing home at Knappagh Road on the edge of Sligo town.
The project has been given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanála with 14 conditions attached to meet objections from neighbouring residents’ associations.
The home is set to be completed by June next year.
The state-of-the-art building is one of a multimillion euro set of development projects the singer is set to start in his Sligo home area, which he says could create up to 300 jobs for local people.
The brothers are also set to start work on a new 50-bed nursing home in Dromahair, Co Leitrim, and on a new residential and retail complex near Shane’s luxury home at Carraroe, outside Sligo town.
The brothers, who run construction company Shafin, say they are preparing for an end to the recession and to meet a growing demand from an ageing population for more nursing homes.
Shafin, like others in the construction industry, was left with a number of unsold properties from an earlier development in Dromahair.
But the singer said “positive things” were beginning to happen. “We’ve sold over a dozen houses in Dromahair in recent months. That proves the banks are beginning to loosen the purse strings and people are becoming a bit more positive.
“We firmly believe that it needs to be local people who get Sligo moving again,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The project has been given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanála with 14 conditions attached to meet objections from neighbouring residents’ associations.
The home is set to be completed by June next year.
The state-of-the-art building is one of a multimillion euro set of development projects the singer is set to start in his Sligo home area, which he says could create up to 300 jobs for local people.
The brothers are also set to start work on a new 50-bed nursing home in Dromahair, Co Leitrim, and on a new residential and retail complex near Shane’s luxury home at Carraroe, outside Sligo town.
The brothers, who run construction company Shafin, say they are preparing for an end to the recession and to meet a growing demand from an ageing population for more nursing homes.
Shafin, like others in the construction industry, was left with a number of unsold properties from an earlier development in Dromahair.
But the singer said “positive things” were beginning to happen. “We’ve sold over a dozen houses in Dromahair in recent months. That proves the banks are beginning to loosen the purse strings and people are becoming a bit more positive.
“We firmly believe that it needs to be local people who get Sligo moving again,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Appointment of ombudsman to Corrib gas advised
A FORMER board member of Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil has advised that the appointment of a new ombudsman trusted by “all stakeholders” may be the only route to resolution of the Corrib gas dispute in north Mayo.
However, the Government should never have permitted construction of the gas infrastructure in the current location, Stein Bredal, a former trade union representative on Statoil’s board, said in Galway at the weekend. Statoil is a partner with Shell and Vermilion Energy in the Corrib gas project.
Mr Bredal also said that Minister of State for Natural Resources Conor Lenihan was “naive” to state that a BP Gulf of Mexico-type incident could not happen in Irish waters.
Mr Bredal spent 25 years working on offshore rigs. He took a keen interest in health and safety following the capsize of the Alexander L Kielland semi-submersible drilling rig on the Norwegian Ekofisk oilfield in March 1980, killing 123 people. He had been due to fly out to start a shift on the rig when the capsize occurred.
“Accidents do happen, even in Norway with our experience and tight regulation,” he said.
Mr Bredal was elected to Statoil’s board as representative of the Federation of Offshore Workers’ Trade Unions in 2000 and served until 2006.
He also unsuccessfully opposed the semi-privatisation of Statoil, as he believed semi-privatisation would dilute the emphasis on social responsibility. “Statoil’s approach in Norway was to ask the community first what it wanted from a project, and to listen,” Mr Bredal said. “It was only when it joined with BP to work in other countries that it moved away from this model.”
“The Norwegian authorities were naive about this partnership” he said. “BP had the contacts but no money, and Statoil had the money but no contacts.” Mr Bredal said that one could not be “totally against” oil and gas exploitation if it brought wealth to countries, but the history of resource exploitation was not always happy.
“The reality is that good economics is often seen as more important than good relations with communities,” he said.
When oil was first found in the North Sea, Norway was “very lucky to have had some strong politicians who planned for the future”, and ensured that the Norwegian state built up expertise in the oil and gas industry, took a 78 per cent tax stake, and ran a state company, he said.
Oil and gas companies tended to act totally on behalf of shareholders, he said, and were in a position to hire the best legal expertise, and were also able to hire journalists to work for them. A common public relations strategy was to present critics of projects or project methodology as “crazies or fundamentalists”, he said.
Mr Bredal said the Norwegian public was generally “not aware” of Statoil’s role in the controversial Corrib gas project in north Mayo, although there had been media coverage of several visits by delegations from Mayo, including one led by Labour Party president Michael D Higgins in 2008.
Mr Bredal was in Galway to attend Risteard Ó Dómhnaill’s documentary, The Pipe , about the Corrib gas controversy, which was screened during the Galway Film Fleadh
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
However, the Government should never have permitted construction of the gas infrastructure in the current location, Stein Bredal, a former trade union representative on Statoil’s board, said in Galway at the weekend. Statoil is a partner with Shell and Vermilion Energy in the Corrib gas project.
Mr Bredal also said that Minister of State for Natural Resources Conor Lenihan was “naive” to state that a BP Gulf of Mexico-type incident could not happen in Irish waters.
Mr Bredal spent 25 years working on offshore rigs. He took a keen interest in health and safety following the capsize of the Alexander L Kielland semi-submersible drilling rig on the Norwegian Ekofisk oilfield in March 1980, killing 123 people. He had been due to fly out to start a shift on the rig when the capsize occurred.
“Accidents do happen, even in Norway with our experience and tight regulation,” he said.
Mr Bredal was elected to Statoil’s board as representative of the Federation of Offshore Workers’ Trade Unions in 2000 and served until 2006.
He also unsuccessfully opposed the semi-privatisation of Statoil, as he believed semi-privatisation would dilute the emphasis on social responsibility. “Statoil’s approach in Norway was to ask the community first what it wanted from a project, and to listen,” Mr Bredal said. “It was only when it joined with BP to work in other countries that it moved away from this model.”
“The Norwegian authorities were naive about this partnership” he said. “BP had the contacts but no money, and Statoil had the money but no contacts.” Mr Bredal said that one could not be “totally against” oil and gas exploitation if it brought wealth to countries, but the history of resource exploitation was not always happy.
“The reality is that good economics is often seen as more important than good relations with communities,” he said.
When oil was first found in the North Sea, Norway was “very lucky to have had some strong politicians who planned for the future”, and ensured that the Norwegian state built up expertise in the oil and gas industry, took a 78 per cent tax stake, and ran a state company, he said.
Oil and gas companies tended to act totally on behalf of shareholders, he said, and were in a position to hire the best legal expertise, and were also able to hire journalists to work for them. A common public relations strategy was to present critics of projects or project methodology as “crazies or fundamentalists”, he said.
Mr Bredal said the Norwegian public was generally “not aware” of Statoil’s role in the controversial Corrib gas project in north Mayo, although there had been media coverage of several visits by delegations from Mayo, including one led by Labour Party president Michael D Higgins in 2008.
Mr Bredal was in Galway to attend Risteard Ó Dómhnaill’s documentary, The Pipe , about the Corrib gas controversy, which was screened during the Galway Film Fleadh
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Flood threat homeowners take council fight to EU
A FAMILY made homeless as a result of the November floods crisis is set to tell the European Parliament that local council planners who allowed them to build on a flood plain are responsible for the scandal.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, 32-year-old Tom Flatley said he and his wife Noreen were given the green light by Galway county council planners to re-develop a dilapidated farm house at Ardrahan in 2002.
The area is a known flood plain, with previous homes being severely flooded in the territory.
However, despite the history of difficulties in the region, Galway County Council allowed the Flatleys to build on the land.
When the major floods struck Galway last November, the family’s home was submerged under almost a metre of water, forcing the young couple and their one-year-old son Zac to flee their home.
An Office of Public Works (OPW) report on the site said there is no possible solution to preventing further floodings, and that despite the council failing to explain the building is on a flood plain it is not their responsibility.
However, Mr Flatley has insisted an independent hydrologist has told the family defences such as a flood wall, an embankment, a surface water drainage system or a rising water pump could be put in place.
And as a result, he is to take his complaint over the inaction by the council to the European Parliament at the request of Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins in an attempt to force the local authority to take responsibility for the situation.
"The fact is they haven’t even looked into the possible solutions. This has put us under so much pressure but there is no support there for us," he warned.
"Since November, we’ve found out that this location has flooded repeatedly over the years, to such an extent that just 50 yards up the road from us a house had to be demolished because of flooding in 1995.
"We are not looking for compensation but we are looking for some protection so we will be making a petition to the European Parliament to put our case to them."
While Galway County Council insists planning for the one-off property was the responsibility of the family, the Flatleys, who have been living in rented accommodation since the flooding, said the situation is proof of a lack of support given to him and other flood victims since the crisis eight months ago.
"Minister Martin Mansergh came to our home in November to see the damage and promised we would be helped, but nothing’s happened.
"There is a €10 million fund supposedly there for humanitarian aid, but that is so wrapped up in red tape barely anyone can access it unless you meet specific qualifications.
"We could go back and fix the damage to our home, but this will inevitably happen again unless there are defences put in there."
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, 32-year-old Tom Flatley said he and his wife Noreen were given the green light by Galway county council planners to re-develop a dilapidated farm house at Ardrahan in 2002.
The area is a known flood plain, with previous homes being severely flooded in the territory.
However, despite the history of difficulties in the region, Galway County Council allowed the Flatleys to build on the land.
When the major floods struck Galway last November, the family’s home was submerged under almost a metre of water, forcing the young couple and their one-year-old son Zac to flee their home.
An Office of Public Works (OPW) report on the site said there is no possible solution to preventing further floodings, and that despite the council failing to explain the building is on a flood plain it is not their responsibility.
However, Mr Flatley has insisted an independent hydrologist has told the family defences such as a flood wall, an embankment, a surface water drainage system or a rising water pump could be put in place.
And as a result, he is to take his complaint over the inaction by the council to the European Parliament at the request of Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins in an attempt to force the local authority to take responsibility for the situation.
"The fact is they haven’t even looked into the possible solutions. This has put us under so much pressure but there is no support there for us," he warned.
"Since November, we’ve found out that this location has flooded repeatedly over the years, to such an extent that just 50 yards up the road from us a house had to be demolished because of flooding in 1995.
"We are not looking for compensation but we are looking for some protection so we will be making a petition to the European Parliament to put our case to them."
While Galway County Council insists planning for the one-off property was the responsibility of the family, the Flatleys, who have been living in rented accommodation since the flooding, said the situation is proof of a lack of support given to him and other flood victims since the crisis eight months ago.
"Minister Martin Mansergh came to our home in November to see the damage and promised we would be helped, but nothing’s happened.
"There is a €10 million fund supposedly there for humanitarian aid, but that is so wrapped up in red tape barely anyone can access it unless you meet specific qualifications.
"We could go back and fix the damage to our home, but this will inevitably happen again unless there are defences put in there."
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Spike Island handed over to council
ON the exact day 72 years after the British handed back an island in Cork harbour another historic handover took place there which will ultimately see Ireland’s "Alcatraz" turned into a major tourist attraction.
On behalf of the Department of Justice, Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív, yesterday handed over the Spike Island to Cork County Council, which intends to exploit its rich heritage for tourism.
Mr Ó Cuív said he was personally delighted to set foot on the island as in 1938 his grandfather, Éamon de Valera, stood there as the national flag was raised on it for the first time — on the occasion the Treaty Ports were handed back to the State.
"It’s important to remember that for many Irish people this island was their last stop before they were shipped to other parts of the world. Some of the story of our Irish diaspora started its journey from this island and it’s my hope that their descendants will return here to see where their own individual family journeys began," said Mr Ó Cuív.
He toured the island yesterday, along with a number of dignitaries, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, county manager Martin Riordan and the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Jim Daly.
They were given a detailed guided tour by Tom O’Neill of the Irish Prison Service who outlined its incredible and varied history.
A Monastic settlement was established on the island in the 6th century by St Carthage. Three centuries later it suffered Viking raids, while by the 12th century the Normans had taken control.
Between 1652 and 1659 the island became a prison from which Cromwell sent more than 50,000 men, women and children to work as slaves in British plantations in the Caribbean.
The use of Spike Island as a holding and deportation centre continued right up until the 1880s, with the island home to as many as 2,000 prisoners at a time during those years.
The building of Fort Westmoreland was completed in the early 1800s.
The island served as a British army base from 1883 until the outbreak of the War of Independence, when it once again was used to house rebels and convicts until the signing of the truce between British and Irish forces on July 11, 1921.
Spike Island was used to house young offenders in the 1980s and was the scene of a famous riot by inmates in 1985, which resulted in the destruction of the residential blocks in the fort. The prison was finally closed in 2004.
Cllr Daly said that the handover of the island represented the culmination of a long campaign by local people.
County manager Martin Riordan said the master plan would be published next spring.
"We have already received proposals from a number of interested parties about developing tourist activities on the island. So we can see the demand that exists to use the island. We hope to have made considerable progress before the end of the year," Mr Riordan said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
On behalf of the Department of Justice, Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív, yesterday handed over the Spike Island to Cork County Council, which intends to exploit its rich heritage for tourism.
Mr Ó Cuív said he was personally delighted to set foot on the island as in 1938 his grandfather, Éamon de Valera, stood there as the national flag was raised on it for the first time — on the occasion the Treaty Ports were handed back to the State.
"It’s important to remember that for many Irish people this island was their last stop before they were shipped to other parts of the world. Some of the story of our Irish diaspora started its journey from this island and it’s my hope that their descendants will return here to see where their own individual family journeys began," said Mr Ó Cuív.
He toured the island yesterday, along with a number of dignitaries, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, county manager Martin Riordan and the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Jim Daly.
They were given a detailed guided tour by Tom O’Neill of the Irish Prison Service who outlined its incredible and varied history.
A Monastic settlement was established on the island in the 6th century by St Carthage. Three centuries later it suffered Viking raids, while by the 12th century the Normans had taken control.
Between 1652 and 1659 the island became a prison from which Cromwell sent more than 50,000 men, women and children to work as slaves in British plantations in the Caribbean.
The use of Spike Island as a holding and deportation centre continued right up until the 1880s, with the island home to as many as 2,000 prisoners at a time during those years.
The building of Fort Westmoreland was completed in the early 1800s.
The island served as a British army base from 1883 until the outbreak of the War of Independence, when it once again was used to house rebels and convicts until the signing of the truce between British and Irish forces on July 11, 1921.
Spike Island was used to house young offenders in the 1980s and was the scene of a famous riot by inmates in 1985, which resulted in the destruction of the residential blocks in the fort. The prison was finally closed in 2004.
Cllr Daly said that the handover of the island represented the culmination of a long campaign by local people.
County manager Martin Riordan said the master plan would be published next spring.
"We have already received proposals from a number of interested parties about developing tourist activities on the island. So we can see the demand that exists to use the island. We hope to have made considerable progress before the end of the year," Mr Riordan said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Digging up Dublin: six years, two drills, one big traffic jam
Traffic chaos could be on its way back to Dublin with the building of the proposed 18km-long Metro North railway, but its project manager claims the multi-billion-euro plan will cause minimal disruption to those living around – and above– the construction.
A great big bore: the route the proposed Metro North will take through Dublin city and it will pass some famous landmarks such as Trinity College and the Spire
The first step in a process that will bring traffic chaos back to Dublin's widest thoroughfare will begin next month with the anticipated granting of a railway order for Metro North, the largest ever civil-engineering project in Ireland.
The project will involve the removal of historic statues, the tearing up of St Stephen's Green and the partial draining of its lake, the demolition of buildings, tunnelling under homes, the revision of bus routes, the spending of billions and the employment of thousands .
Twin boring engines will rattle their way under the surface of the capital, crawling at 15 metres per day for around two years until their epic underground voyage reaches its 11km-long conclusion.
"It's a very significant undertaking. It's 18km long and there wil be a lot of complex work in the city centre," project manager Rob Leech told the Sunday Tribune.
"It compares very well with [a project in] Vancouver which is just opened. It's uncannily similar in terms of length and numbers of stations and they have the same sort of constraints [in the city] that we have here."
While those behind the project are awaiting the final order and permission from the government, things are already underway.
Two tender 'packages' for works have already been released, one in relation to St Stephen's Green and the other for a heritage contractor to take care of statues and monuments.
The enabling works, which will kick in at the beginning of next year, are essentially those carried out to lay the groundwork for the mammoth build – utilities like gas and water pipes, electrical and communication lines, all scattered and winding their way around the underground caverns of the capital, have to be moved to allow for the tunnel.
Soon, work will be carried out on Westmoreland Street and O'Connell Street as well as at Parnell Square and on the Mater Hospital campus.
There will be significant utilities works between Albert College Park and Santry Avenue, over a stretch of about 2.3km, and minor works are required at St Patrick's teacher training college, all along the route of the train line that will bring passengers from the city to Swords in less than half an hour.
Digging on O'Connell Street will be carried out in a piecemeal fashion over 12 to 15 months in order to stick to the ethos of the project: minimal disruption to the public.
"What we have committed to is keeping two lanes of traffic open at all times so that even when there is work going on the lanes will still be there," said Leech. "All access will be kept open to retail outlets and car parks. While there is construction, and it will involve certain disruption, there are key objectives that we have held onto."
The main contract for the stations and the drilling of the tunnel will be awarded towards the end of 2011 with most of the heavy works beginning in 2012. The target date for completion is 2016. This will be followed by a period of trial runs with passengers anticipated by early 2017.
Metro North will feature 17 stations, nine underground and eight at surface level, with a 3km stretch of a six-metre high viaduct at the northern end of the line.
"The [trains] will travel at at least 70kmph but there is nothing to stop them running faster than that," said Leech. He explained that the capacity could rise to as much as one train every two minutes, in line with the London Underground.
The project manager is keen to allay the fears of residents who are concerned about giant mole-like machines boring through the rock beneath their homes. North Dublin residents had similar fears during the construction of the Port Tunnel.
"We have had extensive consultation with the public and home owners and have introduced a property protection scheme," said Leech.
"We can never say never. Tunnelling by its very nature does cause vibration which does cause minor cracking [but] if it is demonstrative of cracking we will pay to have it rectified."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
A great big bore: the route the proposed Metro North will take through Dublin city and it will pass some famous landmarks such as Trinity College and the Spire
The first step in a process that will bring traffic chaos back to Dublin's widest thoroughfare will begin next month with the anticipated granting of a railway order for Metro North, the largest ever civil-engineering project in Ireland.
The project will involve the removal of historic statues, the tearing up of St Stephen's Green and the partial draining of its lake, the demolition of buildings, tunnelling under homes, the revision of bus routes, the spending of billions and the employment of thousands .
Twin boring engines will rattle their way under the surface of the capital, crawling at 15 metres per day for around two years until their epic underground voyage reaches its 11km-long conclusion.
"It's a very significant undertaking. It's 18km long and there wil be a lot of complex work in the city centre," project manager Rob Leech told the Sunday Tribune.
"It compares very well with [a project in] Vancouver which is just opened. It's uncannily similar in terms of length and numbers of stations and they have the same sort of constraints [in the city] that we have here."
While those behind the project are awaiting the final order and permission from the government, things are already underway.
Two tender 'packages' for works have already been released, one in relation to St Stephen's Green and the other for a heritage contractor to take care of statues and monuments.
The enabling works, which will kick in at the beginning of next year, are essentially those carried out to lay the groundwork for the mammoth build – utilities like gas and water pipes, electrical and communication lines, all scattered and winding their way around the underground caverns of the capital, have to be moved to allow for the tunnel.
Soon, work will be carried out on Westmoreland Street and O'Connell Street as well as at Parnell Square and on the Mater Hospital campus.
There will be significant utilities works between Albert College Park and Santry Avenue, over a stretch of about 2.3km, and minor works are required at St Patrick's teacher training college, all along the route of the train line that will bring passengers from the city to Swords in less than half an hour.
Digging on O'Connell Street will be carried out in a piecemeal fashion over 12 to 15 months in order to stick to the ethos of the project: minimal disruption to the public.
"What we have committed to is keeping two lanes of traffic open at all times so that even when there is work going on the lanes will still be there," said Leech. "All access will be kept open to retail outlets and car parks. While there is construction, and it will involve certain disruption, there are key objectives that we have held onto."
The main contract for the stations and the drilling of the tunnel will be awarded towards the end of 2011 with most of the heavy works beginning in 2012. The target date for completion is 2016. This will be followed by a period of trial runs with passengers anticipated by early 2017.
Metro North will feature 17 stations, nine underground and eight at surface level, with a 3km stretch of a six-metre high viaduct at the northern end of the line.
"The [trains] will travel at at least 70kmph but there is nothing to stop them running faster than that," said Leech. He explained that the capacity could rise to as much as one train every two minutes, in line with the London Underground.
The project manager is keen to allay the fears of residents who are concerned about giant mole-like machines boring through the rock beneath their homes. North Dublin residents had similar fears during the construction of the Port Tunnel.
"We have had extensive consultation with the public and home owners and have introduced a property protection scheme," said Leech.
"We can never say never. Tunnelling by its very nature does cause vibration which does cause minor cracking [but] if it is demonstrative of cracking we will pay to have it rectified."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Council decision on 19th century chapel sparks controversy
THE Department of the Environment is investigating the failure of Dublin City Council to add a 19th century chapel on the grounds of St James's Hospital to the list of protected structures.
An Bord Pleanála has given Synchrony Properties Ltd permission to build a 200-bed, eight-storey private hospital on the St James's Hospital site as part of the government's co-location plan. The decision allows Synchrony to demolish St James's chapel to make way for the building.
Some 50 residents in Rialto objected to the application on the grounds that many of them use the church.
Labour councillor John Gallagher first raised concerns that a recommendation by area councillors in June 2008 to add the church to the council's list of protected structures was not brought before a full council meeting. In August 2008, in a letter to the city architects division, the acting council conservation officer said she had changed her mind about her recommendation to add the chapel to the list. She said she had reversed the recommendation "in light of arguments put forward by Mr Carter [CEO of St James's Hospital]".
Ian Carter argued that the hospital development was of such "national importance" that the demolition of the chapel was "imperative".
In January this year, Dublin City manager John Tierney said the process of listing the chapel was "halted" because the council was made aware of the private hospital proposal.
"It was felt that the councillors should consider the application for the listing of the chapel in the context of the proposed development ... However, that presentation was not made. The councillors weren't informed of this situation in error," he said.
A spokesman at the department confirmed its officials asked the city council to supply it with information regarding the decision not to add the chapel to its protected list.
"The information received is still under examination within the department," he said.
Labour TD Mary Upton said the decision to place a building on the protected list is a reserved function of city councillors. "In this case, the non-elected city council officials unilaterally made a decision not to include this item on the agenda of the full city council meeting. This is outrageous and I am calling on John Gormley to fully investigate the matter," she said.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
An Bord Pleanála has given Synchrony Properties Ltd permission to build a 200-bed, eight-storey private hospital on the St James's Hospital site as part of the government's co-location plan. The decision allows Synchrony to demolish St James's chapel to make way for the building.
Some 50 residents in Rialto objected to the application on the grounds that many of them use the church.
Labour councillor John Gallagher first raised concerns that a recommendation by area councillors in June 2008 to add the church to the council's list of protected structures was not brought before a full council meeting. In August 2008, in a letter to the city architects division, the acting council conservation officer said she had changed her mind about her recommendation to add the chapel to the list. She said she had reversed the recommendation "in light of arguments put forward by Mr Carter [CEO of St James's Hospital]".
Ian Carter argued that the hospital development was of such "national importance" that the demolition of the chapel was "imperative".
In January this year, Dublin City manager John Tierney said the process of listing the chapel was "halted" because the council was made aware of the private hospital proposal.
"It was felt that the councillors should consider the application for the listing of the chapel in the context of the proposed development ... However, that presentation was not made. The councillors weren't informed of this situation in error," he said.
A spokesman at the department confirmed its officials asked the city council to supply it with information regarding the decision not to add the chapel to its protected list.
"The information received is still under examination within the department," he said.
Labour TD Mary Upton said the decision to place a building on the protected list is a reserved function of city councillors. "In this case, the non-elected city council officials unilaterally made a decision not to include this item on the agenda of the full city council meeting. This is outrageous and I am calling on John Gormley to fully investigate the matter," she said.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
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