Aosdána, the body representing Irish writers and artists, is calling on the Government to place planning and architectural quality at the heart of the proposed €7.5 billion development plan for Dublin.

The plan to build 20,000 new homes and four million sq ft of commercial space in the docklands will transform the city and have consequences for the country, according to Aosdána.

“The proposed development presents an unprecedented opportunity to create in Dublin an area of civic, social and architectural excellence that as well as answering the housing and business needs of citizens could establish the city’s reputation as an artistic and cultural centre internationally,” it says in a statement. “Aosdána believes that the Taoiseach personally and the Government as a whole should oversee and control the project.”

Aosdána is calling on the Government to ensure commercial forces are balanced with a democratic, social and cultural vision. “Priority should be given in the plan to solving the present housing crisis and providing thereby a blueprint for the way the country’s housing needs are met in the future,” the statement says.

It adds that the extensive document published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Government Policy on Architecture 2009-2015, provides a set of principles that could be applied and extended to cover the proposal.

“The last time any similar building development happened in Dublin (but on a smaller scale and in a more piecemeal fashion) was in the 18th century. In the 20th century, much of the invaluable heritage of the Georgian city was degraded or destroyed. This new development, if properly and imaginatively planned and executed, would compensate for what Dublin then lost.”

The statement concludes: “Aosdána hopes that discussion of this proposal will be encouraged by the Government, engaged in by the public and, particularly as far as the design concept is concerned, speedily completed.”