‘Significant compensation’ required for Moore Street traders, says consultant

A “significant compensation package” is required from Hammerson plc for Moore Street traders impacted by the property giant’s €500 million regeneration plan for the capital, according to planning consultant.

In an objection to Hammerson’s fourth major planning application for much of the historic Upper O’Connell Street frontage area, planning consultants for six Moore Street traders, William Doran, said that, if granted planning permission, the proposed development would “put my clients out of business for a generation and very likely beyond”.

“Consequently a significant compensation package is required from the developer reflecting the true impact on the livelihoods of my clients,” Mr Doran said in the objection lodged with Dublin City Council,

The new application concerns “Site 2″ of the scheme and comprises a mixed-use scheme of 38,479sq m gross floor area ranging in height from two to eight storeys, including a new street between O’Connell Street Upper and Moore Lane.

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Stephen Little & Associates, planning consultants for the Hammerson subsidiary Dublin Central GP Ltd, told the council that the scheme represented an exceptional opportunity to provide a mixed-use scheme that would act as a catalyst for the regeneration of O’Connell Street.

Mr Little said that the council, in pre-planning consultation, has welcomed Site 2 as part of the long-awaited redevelopment of Dublin Central.

The consultant claims that the proposal would result in a radical, empathetic and positive impact on the social and economic framework of the north inner city.

The construction phase is likely to continue for 11 years, and Mr Doran said that it would be impossible for the Moore Street traders to call out their prices or the best choice of the day due to the construction noise.

“The reality here is that O’Connell Street Upper will become a no-go area for citizens and shoppers for a very long time. It will be a dirty, dusty, noisy, dangerous and intimidating space for many years,” he said.

Mr Doran said that the sensible solution was “to close the impacted parts of O’Connell Street Upper and all of Moore Street for the duration of the development and pay compensation to all business impacted”.

Mr Doran said that what he proposed may sound drastic but it was “a practical and elegant solution”.

MEP Clare Daly has called on the council to refuse planning permission, stating that the scheme constitutes over-development. She said the proposed eight-storey height of the development contributed strongly to this over-density.

A decision is due on the scheme this month.