Dublin City Council has approved plans for a 32-storey tower near Heuston Station, hailing it as "a model example and expression of outstanding 21st-century architecture". If constructed, it would be Ireland's tallest building.
The mainly residential tower would be located west of the former Dr Steevens' Hospital at the intersection of St John's Road and a new pedestrian route to the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham.
The tower, designed by Paul Keogh Architects, would have a public observation deck on top, finished in translucent glass panels to illuminate the sky at night. Access would be via a dedicated lift from the ground-floor lobby.
It would rise to a height of 117 metres (386 feet). Planning permission was granted subject to 30 conditions, including one requiring that the floor-to-ceiling heights of its 96 apartments be increased from 2.7 metres to 2.8 metres.
Also part of the plan, which was submitted on behalf of the Office of Public Works, is an interactive children's museum, to be known as "Exploration Station", 19 retail units, 14,000sq metres of office space, two restaurants and a pub.
It is envisaged that the OPW will either proceed with the development directly, via a joint venture arrangement, or tender the project to a single developer while retaining control over the cultural and historic buildings on the site.
An Taisce, the Irish Georgian Society and the Friends of Kilmainham all objected to the tower, mainly because of fears that it would dominate historic buildings in the area. They also argued that it was not justified by any civic purpose.
However, the city council's planners said the scheme was "a well-considered proposal which will regenerate a run-down area and contribute in a major way in terms of planning gain and improvement of the public domain" around Heuston.
Though they conceded that the tall building "will clearly have a significant visual impact on the immediate and the wider city skyline", the planners said Dublin "must grow and evolve" as a capital city and "this must include its skyline".
The planning report on the scheme said a tall building in the proposed location made sense as a landmark western gateway for the city and it was in line with the Heuston regeneration strategy, which envisaged three towers in the area.
It said the building had a "trophy quality" that would "generate new prestige demand for Heuston as a much sought-after, residential location within the city, and it will interact positively with the historic landmarks in the vicinity".
The report noted that the proposed tower would not be the tallest structure in the city. It would be approximately as high as the Spire in O'Connell Street, but considerably lower than the the two chimneystacks of Poolbeg power station.
It would not be tall by international standards. "It is of similar height to the Statue of Liberty, but approximately half the height of the Eiffel Tower and half the height of the tallest building constructed in London to date", in Canary Wharf. "It is the view of the planning authority that the tall building will make a strong, positive and graceful contribution to the city including its skyline".
The objectors are now likely to lodge appeals to An Bord Pleanála, which granted permission in October for a major scheme by Eircom on the adjoining site - subject to the omission of its tallest building, a 12-storey tower. The planning inspector had recommended a refusal.
