A plan to redevelop the Gaiety Centre office block for retail use has been surprisingly turned down by An Bord Pleanála. Edel Morgan reports
An Bord Pleanála's decision to overturn planning permission to demolish the former Eircom office building at 35-45 South King Street, Dublin 2 and replace it with a glazed seven-storey retail, restaurant and residential complex has been welcomed by An Taisce - but has come as a severe blow to the street's ailing fortunes.
Developer Joe O'Reilly of Castlethorn Developments, who bought the five-storey office block for over €32 million, planned to build a "transparent" seven-storey building beside the Gaiety Theatre and opposite the side entrance to the St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.
It was designed by leading architect Andrzej Wejchert of A & D Wejchert who was behind the design of the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Smithfield Village and the Helix Arts Centre in DCU.
Although South King Street has been pedestrianised for several years and flanks the St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, it is not generally regarded as a shopping street because it has only a handful of existing traders. It was expected that the new centre, which would have had a large department store at street level, would attract high profile retail names and overseas traders desperately looking to locate near Grafton Street.
The proposal was for four shops totalling 1,780 sq m (19,160 sq ft), a restaurant on the fourth floor and 13 apartments on the fourth, fifth and sixth floor levels.
Three appeals were lodged to An Bord Pleanála against planning permission granted by Dublin City Council.
Two of the appeals were by occupants of apartments at Chatham Court who believed the building would overshadow and overlook their private amenity garden area and would be visually undesirable.
An Taisce submitted that the proposal would contravene the High Buildings Guidelines and the zoning objective of the development plan. It said it would constitute overdevelopment of the site adjoining the Gaiety Theatre.
An Taisce said that while South King Street has a mixture of 19th and 20th century buildings, it retains a cohesion of scale which would be unbalanced by the proposed development.
In response, the developer said the proposed complex would replace the existing outdated Gaiety Centre office building, "which does not make a positive contribution to the streetscape of the area".
The developer submitted that cream limestone would echo the adjoining Gaiety Theatre's Victorian facade and the transparency of the glazed element would contrast to the solidity of the theatre. It said rather than building a pastiche complex in a mock Victorian style, it decided on a "unique and contrasting" building "which will provide a design legacy for future generations".
It said overlooking to the rear of properties on Chatham Street is reduced by replacing the existing five-storey office building, which has windows facing the rear of properties on Chatham Street, with apartments which have a restricted view of Chatham Street.
An Bord Pleanála refused permission on the grounds the replacement of the 1980s Eircom office building would constitute serious overdevelopment by reason of height, scale, extent and excessively high plot ratio on the narrow South King Street, and would negatively impact on the existing scale and quality of the streetscape on South King Street.
It also said that the development would seriously injure residential amenities of these adjoining residential properties by reason of overshadowing and sunlight, daylight and visual obtrusiveness.
It is believed that Dublin City Council will review its strategy of promoting retail use on South King Street following the surprise decision by the board.
In the meantime, Mr O'Reilly is looking at other options, including the possible retention of the office block now that there are signs of a pick up in demand for city centre offices.
