AN TAISCE AND businessman Johnny Ronan’s Ronan Group are two of six parties that have lodged appeals against the green light for the contentious €100 million partial demolition and redevelopment of the St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

An Taisce, an independent charity, is one of Ireland’s oldest and largest environmental organisations. 

The period for the submission of appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) against the Dublin City Council decision to grant planning permission to developers, DTDL Ltd is now closed and ACP has confirmed that six third-party appeals have been lodged.

Along with An Taisce and Ronan Group appeals, former environment editor at The Irish Times, Frank McDonald, and Martin Murray of Ranelagh have also lodged individual third party appeals.

As part of his comprehensive 27-page appeal, author and journalist, McDonald has requested that ACP hold an oral hearing into the case “to ventilate the issues at stake”.

The four appeals lodged ahead of Monday’s deadline follow earlier appeals lodged by Athlone man, Oliver Donoghue and the Save St Stephen’s Green Campaign which has amassed 24,000 signatures in favour of the retention of the shopping centre.

On 9 May, crowds gathered outside the St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre to protest against the redevelopment.

In the scheme, a BKD Architects/O’Donnell + Tuomey collaboration on behalf of developers, Lanthrn, will have capacity to accommodate 3,000 office workers while the retail floor area at basement, ground and first floor levels will be 19,001 sq.m.

However, in the An Taisce appeal, signed off by heritage officer, Ian Lumley and Kevin Duff from the Planning Unit, it states that “the architectural design of the proposed development does not justify the substantial demolition and loss of the existing building and its contribution to the city’s public realm”.

An Taisce’s appeal states that the proposals “would result in the loss of the naturally-lit central internal space of the existing mall, an established city landmark and unique feature which is a key design quality of the existing building”.

The appeal further contends that “the scale and bulk of the seven- to eight-storey development is excessive in view of its historic and sensitive setting on St. Stephen’s Green, a Conservation Area, adjacent to the Grafton Street Architectural Conservation Area and in proximity to numerous Protected Structures in the immediate vicinity”.

The appeal further states that “the provision of a large office development over six floors is in serious conflict with existing and oncoming fundamental changes in office work patterns, as well as with its location in the south retail core of the city”.

The chief executive of real estate investor and developer the Ronan Group, which was founded by Johnny Ronan in the early 1970s, expressed concern  with the applicant’s choice to exclude residential use.

In the group’s submission to the Council on the scheme, chief executive Rory Williams stated that the site is among the most accessible locations in the State.

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He outlined that it is adjacent to high-capacity public transport and within walking distance of key services and amenities.

Williams said that in such circumstances, the exclusion of residential use requires particularly robust justification, as city centre housing directly supports compact growth by reducing commuting distances, increasing modal share for walking and cycling, and sustaining activity outside standard office hours.

In his appeal, McDonald contends that the Council planner concluding that the applicant has addressed Council’s concerns regarding strong place making with the minor changes to the facade design “is as close to a confession of pitiful planning impotence as one could get”.

He said: “Even architects of the quality and standing of O’Donnell + Tuomey cannot wave a magic wand to make DTDL’s behemoth more palatable to the public, nor should they be expected to do so.”

In his submission to the Council, Murray of Mountpleasant Parade, Ranelagh stated that “the development proposed is unnecessary. It is essentially speculative in nature and does so at significant detriment to the planning of the city as a whole”.

McDonald and An Taisce were successful in opposing DTDL Ltd’s previous redevelopment scheme for St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre before ACP last July.