Dublin Corporation's planners said yesterday they would be holding further talks with the architects and developers who want to erect the city's tallest building at George's Quay, directly opposite the Custom House. The assurance was given at a meeting yesterday of the City Council's planning committee, where the scheme generated quite a negative response, particularly after it was revealed that the highest office tower in the development would be nearly 70 per cent taller than Liberty Hall.
Councillors were told yesterday that the tower would rise to 100 metres (330 feet) compared to Liberty Hall's 59 metres (195 feet).
The chief planning officer, Mr Pat McDonnell, noted that there was an existing permission for a cluster of seven office blocks on the site, of which the tallest would have been 65.5 metres (216 feet). However, this scheme had been replaced by the current proposal.
Rising up behind the two existing five-storey blocks occupied by Ulster Bank and Coopers and Lybrand, it would consist of a curved 24-storey tower of offices beside the DART line, with more offices in four-storey and six-storey buildings in front, and two apartment towers to the rear. Mr McDonnell said all of the buildings would be clad in transparent rather than tinted glass, giving them a "crystalline sculptural quality". However, because of the height of the towers, they would be visible over a wide area, notably from College Park in TCD. They would also create "a high degree of shadow", which would extend in midwinter to the dome of the Custom House.
Mr McDonnell explained that the architects, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, had placed great emphasis on the creation of public spaces and retail uses in the scheme.
But he wondered whether its height would create a precedent for City Quay and points east to develop in a similar fashion.
Senator Joe Doyle (FG), chairman of the planning committee, said that while he was "sure the architecture is of a very high standard", the height of the proposed scheme would be "totally out of character" in relation to the Custom House.
A more positive view was taken by Mr Brendan Brady (FG), who said the architects involved had "done a lot of good work around the world" and he welcomed their input in Dublin. Mr Tommy Broughan TD (Lab) had no doubts about the scheme. "We've seen some very poor architecture in Dublin, such as the twee, sub-Scandinavian stuff around Christ Church. This has a boldness and freshness about it," he declared. Mr Alan Robinson (PD) also said it was a "bold proposal", but he felt it was too tall for a site so close to the Custom House. For Mr Dermot Lacey (Lab), it was "a vision of what a space-age city would look like". The proposed height, he said, "reflects architectural arrogance and incredible greed on the part of the developers". He believed it would be a disaster for Dublin.
Mr Ciaran Cuffe (Greens) said it was a horrendous scheme, typical of the worst excesses of the 1960s, but his party colleague, Ms Donna Cooney, thought it was quite attractive. An attempt by Mr Cuffe to have the scheme rejected out of hand was defeated after members received an assurance that the planners would consider it further and report back.
The scheme is being developed by Cosgrave Holdings, one of the largest developers in Dublin, who have specialised in apartment schemes.
Skidmore Owings and Merrill are major international architects with headquarters in Chicago, and offices in New York, Boston, London and Hong Kong among other cities.
