The controversial redesign of Cork County Hall, which had been opposed by the nephew of the original architect and An Taisce, was given the go ahead by An Bord Pleanála yesterday.
Welcoming the board's decision which said the proposed design would be compatible with the requirements to protect and enhance the building, Mr Maurice Moloney, Cork county manager, said it vindicated the careful planning and design of Dublin architects Shay Cleary & Associates who had been commissioned to renovate the building and create a new six-storey office block adjoining it.
County Hall was built in 1968 and with its distinctive cruciform concrete cladding has been the most identifiable building in the greater city area, dominating the western approaches.
However, the cladding had become unsafe and Cork County Council was forced to erect protective canopies over the entrances to protect staff and members of the public from falling debris.
The building was thought to be unsuited to the modern needs of such a large local authority, and lack of space had also become a problem, with some council staff working outside the complex.
When the new plans were announced last year, Mr D.P.Curtin, a nephew of the late county architect Mr Patrick McSweeney, who designed the building, objected to the proposals, as did An Taisce and Doco Mono, an organisation dedicated to the preservation of modern architecture.
The €38million project will be a major revamp of County Hall, which will include the removal of the council chamber from the top to the ground floor, a new entrance and a roof-top restaurant. While the cladding will be removed, the new outer skin will retain the well-known cruciform shape.
The addition of the new office complex will mean some 600 people will be accommodated on the site. "I am delighted with the news; it could have gone either way. We regard it as bringing the building into the 21st century and we are all very proud of these plans and what the architects are proposing," Mr Moloney said.
It is expected the project will go to tender by May and that construction could begin by the end of the year.