Contractor gets ‘extraordinary’ reaction to Clerys stance

Specialist contractor Lambstongue says that it has had an "extraordinary" reaction to its decision not to work on the redevelopment of Clerys unless the store's new owners meet workers who lost their jobs when it was taken over.

Clerys closed suddenly last year with the loss of 467 jobs when the Natrium consortium bought the store’s owner OCS Properties, which is now seeking permission to redevelop the building on Dublin’s O’Connell Street.

Lambstongue, a contractor specialising in the conservation and restoration of historic windows, refused to get involved in the project unless Natrium met the workers who lost their jobs when Clerys closed.

One of the directors of the Chapelizod-based company, Ken Meehan, said on Monday that hundreds of people, many of them former Clerys workers or their families, had contacted it via its Facebook page to thank it for the stance that it had taken.

“The reaction has been extraordinary,” he said, adding that the company did not expect the messages of support and was not seeking publicity from its decision.

High-profile projects

Lambstongue has worked on a range of high-profile projects. It is currently involved in restoring windows in Adare Manor in Co Limerick. It did similar work on Iveagh House and has regularly provided its services to the State's Office of Public Works.

It is thought to be the only contractor in Ireland capable of restoring the Clerys windows.

The public has until September 2nd to submits its views on the application to redevelop Clerys. OCS intends making space for a hotel, offices and shops. It will preserve many of the building’s features, but also intends adding an extra storey.

Deirdre Foley, whose company, D2 Investments, owns 20 per cent of Clerys, said when the application was lodged recently that it marked a new chapter for the store and O'Connell Street.

Neither she nor OCS wanted to comment on Lambstongue’s decision.