Sir, - I read with interest Frank McDonald's article "An Bord Pleanala turns down hotel plans" (August 21st). Mr McDonald tells us that Ms Phyllis Gibney, wife of the award-winning architect Arthur Gibney, and a resident of that area, won her appeal against plans for a 140 bedroom hotel with basement parking for 145 cars and the demolition of a derelict Regency mews building in the rear.
I was not so fortunate in my appeal against plans submitted by Mr Arthur Gibney for the Dean and Woodward St Stephen's School to be converted into a 31 bedroom hotel with 13 car parking spaces in the garden. Mr Gibney's firm was employed by Treasury Holding's Johnnie Ronan and partner Richard Barrett.
Maurice Craig in his book Dublin 1660-1860 states: "The Woodward and Deane buildings in Molesworth Street were demolished in 1978 after a four year battle and are still lamented". We will, as in the case of the Molesworth Street building lament the destruction of the fine example of Woodward and Deane architecture forever. It was to be used for educational purposes only, for all time, or so Lord Pembroke specified.-Yours, etc., A STAUNTON,
Percy Place, Dublin 2.