Three-quarters of the submissions received from members of the public strongly objected to Dublin Corporation's plan to erect a 120 m stainless steel needle on the site of Nelson Pillar in O'Connell Street, according to the planning inspector who dealt with the case.
But Mr Eoghan Brangan, senior planning adviser to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, recommended it should go ahead as a pivotal element in the reordering of O'Connell Street, which includes the creation of a granite "plaza" in front of the GPO.
Nearly half of the 121 submissions considered the Monument of Light, as it is officially known, inappropriate in terms of the character, history or architecture of the area while just over a quarter complained it would be too high, ugly and out of scale with its surroundings.
All but 10 of the objections were from individuals. They included several submissions from Mr Micheal O Nuallain, an artist who entered the 1998 design competition to find a replacement for Nelson Pillar.
Mr O Nuallain, a brother of Brian O'Nolan (alias Flann O'Brien), successfully challenged the winning scheme by Mr Ian Ritchie in the High Court. As a result, the corporation was required to produce an environmental impact statement.
The 204-page EIS, compiled by McHugh Consultants, was submitted to the Minister last June for certification under the planning regulations. Submissions were invited. In his report to the Minister, Mr Brangan noted a quarter of submissions were supportive - mainly from local businesses and commercial organisations.
Of those who were against the Spike, one in six proposed an alternative monument for the pillar site, one in seven suggested alternative uses for the £3 million-plus to be invested in its construction and one in eight considered the proposal either as laughable or an insult.
However, Mr Brangan said design competitions were generally aimed at encouraging new and innovative solutions, even though these may often be "uncomfortable to the eye at first". He was satisfied that all the issues had been fully considered in the EIS. In particular, he accepted its contention that the monument was "a sculptural object and not a building intervention".
The Arts Council said the "sheer vertical form" of the monument was an appropriate response to the "broad horizontal nature" of O'Connell Street.
An Taisce sought to have the height reduced so it would not be so visible around the city and in the suburbs.
But Mr Brangan said a height reduction was not necessary. Though the monument's effect on the urban landscape was its most controversial aspect, "the purpose of the development is to produce a significant visual impact and it would be a failure if it did not do so".
He said the Irish Aviation Authority, in its submission, had advised that its requirements regarding air navigation safety had already been incorporated in the design, which provides for the top 12 m of the monument to be illuminated from within.
However, in view of the concerns expressed by some objectors, his report recommends further measures or tests to ensure public safety in the event of a lightning strike.
Referring to complaints about the danger of toppling, Mr Brangan said it had been designed to withstand extreme winds over a 30-year period. This seemed "very short" and he recommended it should be modified to ensure long-term stability.
His report found the proposed monument was consistent with the Dublin City Development Plan, which includes an objective to erect a "vertical feature" on the pillar site as part of an overall effort to improve O'Connell Street.
Dealing with the proposed granite -plaza in front of the GPO, Mr Brangan said the benefits to pedestrians from widened footpaths would outweigh any adverse effects on traffic.
The report noted that construction of the monument would take up to 23 weeks, involving the creation of a compound 180 m long and 20 m wide. This would entail the temporary removal of the Anna Livia fountain and the public toilets on the central median of the street.
The plaza in front of the GPO, which is to be paved in dark granite with lighter granite edges, would take 19 months to construct. This, too, would involve disruption to traffic. However, as the report pointed out, traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction as part of the overall plan.