The board of the Abbey Theatre has given a qualified welcome to the announcement that the Government has decided the theatre is to be redeveloped at its present site on Dublin's Abbey Street.
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, yesterday said the development would be pursued through a public-private partnership (PPP). Ms de Valera said the Cabinet had made the decision on Tuesday and that development on the existing site had always been her personal preference.
The Government rejected the offer of a free site for the National Theatre at Grand Canal Dock.
The Abbey board said in response to the announcement that it understood the Government had agreed to explore the possibility of public-private co-operation and to go down that road if it was shown to have merit.
However, in a statement it pointed out that no expenditure for the project had yet been approved by the Government. A number of issues surrounding the plan also remained to be worked out.
These include the design of the building, the extent of the site required, the final cost of the redevelopment and the "applicability" of the PPP. "Only when an agreement on such issues has been reached will it be possible to evaluate the details of the proposals.
"We look forward to working with the Government on finding a solution that best serves the interests of theatre in Ireland and the Irish public," said the statement issued on behalf of the board and the artistic director, Mr Ben Barnes.
The Minister said there were a number of different models of PPP but the Government had not yet decided how much it was going to commit financially. Ms de Valera said on RTÉ that the option of "building upwards, building below and looking at adjacent buildings" would be examined.
It was a "very exciting project" and the Abbey board would be involved in all of the consultations and it would be up to it to decide what type of partnership would be appropriate.
The board has been deeply frustrated by the delays in reaching a decision on the theatre's future and was concerned about a definitive decision not being taken before the general election; that if "concrete proposals" were not in place by then the theatre would remain in limbo.
The Office of Public Works has explored the possibility of acquiring additional space beside the theatre. However, it is understood this would involve negotiating with more than 20 land-owners, which would make it a costly and drawn-out exercise. The board believes this option would cost around €200 million rather than the €100 being suggested by the Government.