Dame St to lose greenspace to officeblock

national | miscellaneous | news report

Monday July 15, 2002 14:00

by Jon Wilde

Arkaos at subdimension dot com

You all know the geenspace on Dame Street - across from The Olympia. Apparently "City council spokesmen said something had to be done to mask the unsightly gable- end of the 18th century Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers Society building which overlooked the public garden." So they decided to plant it full of climbing vines, ivy and trees. HEH HEH, gotcha; no really infact they're gonna build a lovely glass and granite office block.

If you walk up Dame Street on a nice (yeh right) sunny evening, just after all the majestic old buildings and banks, you come to a nice bit of greenspace with statues, flowers, grass, benches and even a fountain.
It's just across the road from The Olympia Theatre and beside the entrance to Dublin Castle.
This garden was created 15 years ago in 1988 to mark Dublins millennium.

It's overlooked by an 18th Century building which still bears the name "Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers Society". Not the prettiest of Dublins buildings true, but by far not the worst.

Anyway; say bye-bye. It's going.

Apparently "City council spokesmen said something had to be done to mask the unsightly gable- end of the 18th century Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers Society building which overlooked the public garden."

So what's being done? Well, they're going to take up one third of the space with a granite and glass office block with the remainder of the space being paved over with granite slabs. It's already passed all stages of planning.

There's a story in the Indo about it (you'll need to register for free)
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=788863&issue_id=7712

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Comments (4 of 4)

A likely story!

by Mags

Mon Jul 15, 2002 17:01

So 100E worth of paint wouldn't be good enough to cover the gable, huh.
The cynic in me might just see a profit motive here in a prime bit of land in the commercial district. So they are going to plant some horrible office block in front of City Hall and Dublin Castle.
It is one of the few places in Dublin that has seats where you sit down and eat a sandwich and stuff. Is there a conspiracy in Dublin against public seating and small bits of grass and flowers to brighten up things?, or a plan to get us all into expensive restaurants, who seem to have free reign to colonise bits of the street with tables and barriers.

Maybe An Taisce or someone might take up the case. Nearly as bad as the sly attempt to turn the Croppy's Acre into a car park a few years back.

Corruption still rules supreme!

by Paul Kinsella - Various

Mon Jul 15, 2002 20:01

paulkinsella53 at yahoo dot com

53 Lorcan Grove, Santry, Dublin 9, Eire

087-9748511

What! No more having a single of chips from Burdocks and a can of cider on the rare times when we get a warm Summer evening! Seriously though this is an outrage. This is one of the last small green spaces left so close to the city centre. A great haven for Workers (Compliant PAYE taxpayers!), the unemployed and tourists alike. And now it's to be sold to some corrupt, tax evading, Ansbacher account holding builder. Wonder how many brown envelopes passed between certain city councillors, the city planners and the builder here? Corruption - It hasn't gone away you know! And you better believe it!

What Can Be done

by Eamon o Byrne

Tue Jul 16, 2002 12:54

What Can Be done To Be Certain That this Green space is allowed to continue to nourish us??
Eamon

How about a camp-in?

Thu Jul 18, 2002 13:35

Bring yer tents and some nice plants to, well, plant. A bit of music and some explanatory flyers for the confused passers by....

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Dame St to lose greenspace to officeblock

Comments (4 of 4)