Madam, - I note that Mr Dermot Desmond has achieved a successful conclusion to his four year battle to have a "dumb-waiter" installed in his Georgian House on Merrion Square, Dublin (The Irish Times, January 5th).
During this protracted process the only contribution which shed any significant insight on this unseemly dispute came from Mr Desmond himself. He was quoted as insisting that "the desire of conservationists to have perfect museum pieces caught in one period of time must be weighed against the right of a property's owner to have full use and enjoyment of something that belongs to them".
Far from facilitating the restoration of old buildings, the current statutory consultation process imposes stringent and restrictive conservation standards which take precedent over any few functional requirements. These standards are imposed without any consideration of client cost and place an ill-defined concept of "public welfare" above the expressed rights of the individuals involved.
The policies themselves are largely carried out by newly appointed "heritage officers" with a zeal reminiscent of the moral police in some Arab states and with just as little regard for individual rights.
In reaching its decision An Bord Pleanála seems to have contributed little positive momentum to this debate but only to have acted belatedly in response to a court action. So it is likely that similarly vindictive and arbitrary planning requirements will continue to be the norm rather than the exception.
There is a real need for greater clarity in the grading of listed buildings, the introduction of a cost benefit analysis to justify the conservation exercise and the acknowledgement on individuals' rights to modify their property within much more flexible procedures. The current extensive bureaucratic procedures and seemingly arbitrary listing process linked to very limited grant money availability, serves only to perpetuate a self-serving bureaucratic elite while constricting personal freedom in property management.
May I therefore congratulate Mr Desmond on his remarkable commitment and strength of character in the face of the sneering indifference of the "saviours" of our supposed heritage? - Yours, etc,
COLM O'RIAIN, O'Riain & Associated Architects, Flood Street, Galway.