Sir, – In her excellent opinion piece "Knocking jewels of old Dublin a step shy of vandalism" (May 14th), Una Mullally asks us to "start preserving the character of our city against the forces that seek to homogenise it".
However, it is Dublin City Council that is entirely responsible for the preservation of the character of the city. Central to the preservation of its character is the protection of historic buildings.
It has recently emerged that following surveys and appraisals of historic buildings, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has recommended that Dublin City Council add 1,011 city buildings to the Register of Protected Structures due to their architectural or historic significance.
At the current rate of additions to the register (approximately 12 per annum), it will take Dublin City Council approximately 83 years to add the structures recommended by the Minister.
What does that tell us about how Dublin City Council fulfils its role of protecting the character of the city? – Yours, etc,
KEVIN DUFF,
Dublin City Association,
An Taisce,
Tailors’ Hall,
Back Lane,
Dublin 8.