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PB April-May
April-May 37
Hyde rise
Before he was convicted in 2023 in Cork Circuit Criminal
Court for failing to make declarations of interest, An Bord
Pleanála’s Paul Hyde left a final legacy to Dublin City —
unplanned high-rise in Dublin’s city centre
By Kevin Duff
Fig. 1 The view of College Green by Jmes Mlton in the 1790s illustrtes the reltionship
between the two lndmrk public buildings of the Prliment House (now Bnk of Irelnd) nd
Trinity College.The 21-storey building now loom between the two buildings, drmticlly nd
irreversibly ltering the 18th-century setting
A
mid the general fiasco of Irish
planning since the 1960s, there
was at least one achievement:
maintaining Dublin into the 21st
century as one of Europe’s low-rise
historic cities. Since the building of Liberty Hall
and O’Connell Bridge House, the historic core
of Dublin had been protected from incongruous
high-rise development by planning-control
policies, and appeals. The scale of the city
portrayed in James Malton’s 1790s engravings
had been largely maintained.
It was generally accepted that Dublin already
had a well defined physical identity and had no
need of high-rise towers in its core to “enhance”
or “internationalise” it. The overriding
emphasis of planning and policy for high
buildings in Dublin since the 1980s — including
that of successive City Development Plans —
had been for careful protection of the setting
of the historic core and, since the 1990s,
permitting height in carefully selected zones,
notably at the eastern and western extremities
of the city — in the Docklands and the area
around Heuston Station. Only one tall building
of note was constructed in the outer part of the
Docklands and none at all in Heuston, when in
2018 the historic-city height protections were
scrapped at Ministerial level.
Against this background, five years ago An
Taisce appealed Dublin City Council’s decision
to grant permission, to the Marlet Property
Group, for the addition of 10 storeys comprising
54 build-to-rent apartments, to a permitted
11-storey building to make a 21-storey building
at Apollo House, Poolbeg Street and Tara
Street, Dublin 2, the site of several former
monsters, including Apollo House, College
House and the Screen Cinema (with its wry
sculpture of a cinema usher) from a previous
era of similar planning profligacy.
The site adjoins the former Hawkins House
and the permission entails the demolition of
apartments called the Brokerage and the
Longstone pub. The planning karma on Tara
Street has not been good for nearly a century.
Plan-led high-rise may have its place in
Dublin and in late February 2025 the Ronan
Group got permission to build an even higher,
though significantly better placed, and
residential, scheme on North Wall Quay.
The grounds of appeal to An Bord Pleanála
(ABP), submitted by An Taisce, included: the
scheme did not protect the historic Trinity
College campus enclosure; it was in conflict
with the high-building provision of the Dublin
City Development Plan 2016-22; and it was in
conflict with the George’s Quay Local Area Plan
(LAP).
The appeal claimed research indicated the
high environmental and energy-consumption
costs of high buildings thereby necessitating
high-yield tenants or occupants, which
contributes to inflation of adjacent land prices
and increases unaordability; and that a
development of this height in Dublin might
cause problems in a fire.
ABP considered that the proposed
development would not be likely to have
significant eects on the environment and that
the preparation and submission of an
environmental impact assessment report was,
ludicrously therefore, not required.
The subject site lies within the George’s
Quay Local Area Plan (LAP) area. Section 5.1 of
the LAP was very clear about maximum heights
to be permitted on the Apollo House site
(included in the ‘Hawkins House Site’
guidance). The heights would generally not
exceed eight storeys across the site with the
possibility for a “mid rise” element rising to no
higher than 12 storeys, and the relevant
portion of development in the parent planning
permission for development of the site was
consistent with this guidance. Thus, the LAP
allowed only for a “mid rise” building on this
site, not a high-rise one.
ENVIRONMENT
38 April-May
April-May PB
From St Stephen’s Green
From Trinity College From College Green: compre imge pge 37
From Grttn Bridge
The LAP allowed for one high building of up
to 22 storeys at Tara Street Station, and this
had been put forward by an applicant, Tanat
Ltd, and permitted on appeal in 2019.
Therefore, taking George’s Quay LAP on its
own, the proposed development was
non-compliant.
Dublin City Development Plan
2016-22
The high-building policy stated that, in order
“To protect and enhance the skyline of the
inner city, and to ensure that all proposals for
mid-rise and taller buildings make a positive
contribution to the urban character of the
city…all new proposals must demonstrate
sensitivity to the historic city centre, the river
Liey and quays” (Policy SC17). Photomontage
views (corresponding to the actual
photographs in this article) emphatically
demonstrated that the proposal was not
sensitive to the historic city centre of Dublin,
a renowned 18th-century urban landscape.
Therefore the proposal was in conflict with
the City Development Plan.
Urban Development and
Building Heights guidelines,
2018
The subject application was made on the basis
that the Urban Development and Building
Heights guidelines introduced by Minister for
Planning, Eoghan Murphy, in December 2018
overrode the George’s Quay LAP and City
Development Plan.
However, the guidelines included the
proviso that “proposals within architecturally
sensitive areas, should successfully integrate
into/enhance the character and public realm of
the area, having regard to topography, its
cultural context, setting of key landmarks,
protection of key views” (section 3.2).
An Taisce argued that, having regard to its
design and form as a modern glass/steel/
concrete tower of generally standardised and
generic design and appearance, it was
impossible to see how the proposed high
building integrated into or enhanced the
character and cultural context of the adjacent
Trinity College, an institution of immense
historic and cultural importance within the city
dating back to the 1500s.
According to An Taisce’s appeal were this
building to be permitted in this location so
close to Trinity College, College Green and the
historic core, and on top of the recently-
permitted 22-storey building at Tara Street
Station, Dublin would be headed towards an
incoherent Manchester- or Brussels-type city
centre with modern high-rise towers randomly
inserted into the historic urban structure and
looming up behind old streets and buildings.
An Bord Pleanála rejected An Taisce’s
appeal. Its inspector considered adding ten
storeys in relation to the visual impact, and the
impact on the architectural heritage of Trinity
College square, College Green and the Customs
[sic] House and [the River Liey and O’Connell
Street]:
“I am satisfied that the development will be
significantly removed from these sites and
when viewed form these sites will form part of
the wider urban backdrop and while the
development will represent a noticeable
structure in the built environment, the
development will be located in the background
which will significantly reduce the visual
impact, and I am satisfied that the development
will not adversely detract from the architectural,
historical and cultural setting of these sites”.
Crucially she noted: “Whilst I agree the
development will represent a significant visual
impact on the skyline at this location and
would be visible in the wider city skyline, I note
the site is not located within an architectural
conversation area and there are no protected
structures on the site”.
Key was the Inspector’s conclusion that
“SPPR 3 of the Building Height Guidelines
does apply in this instance. The Building
Height Guidelines have been issued since the
adoption of the Local Area Plan and the
County Development Plan in 2016 and it is
national policy to support increased building
height and density in such locations as per
SPPR 1”.
Its decision in September 2020 was signed
by one of its members, Paul Hyde.
Kevin Du is Dublin City Planning Ocer for
An Taisce
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