THE conservation lobby has been wondering what gets into the Office of Public Works when they decide to sell State property on the open market.

Two years ago, the OPW surprised many by demolishing the Veterinary College in Ballsbridge before selling the site to Ray Grehan for €171.5 million. The suspicion at the time was that the OPW feared that the over zealous conservation staff in Dublin City Council might put a preservation order on the college and devalue the property by at least half.

The decision to send in the wreckers paid off handsomely even though vendors do not generally go to the expense of demolishing old buildings before putting them on the market.

This week the OPW was at it again, demolishing an old building at the rear of the Permanent TSB HQ on St Stephen's Green before launching a marketing campaign for the sale of almost three-quarters of an acre and the former nursing home attached to the former St Vincent's Hospital.

The OPW didn't break any rules because the ill-fated block and the old nursing home were not listed for preservation.

However, they are located in what is known as a "conservation area" under the city development plan.

If the plan works again, then the OPW will raise another €35 million or so for the State coffers.

It will come in handy now that the Government's budget surplus is a thing of the past.