Madam, - I was interested to see that the OPW has already been busy at work demolishing buildings in the former University College Dublin veterinary college on Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, ahead of the proposed €100 million sale of the property - presumably for yet another dreary office/residential/retail "mixed use" scheme by a private property developer.
I would like to suggest that other options also be explored before the site is offloaded to private interests. Can the OPW not come up with a plan that would benefit Dublin's citizens generally? Maybe this option has been discussed within the OPW and Government and maybe there is no alternative to another apartment development, but I am unaware of any debate and would welcome one, if only for the distraction it would offer.
Has anyone thought of some kind of recreational amenity for young people (or old) that would suit this 2.1-acre site? Do we automatically have to view every plot of land that becomes available as one for private redevelopment?
Of course, I know the answer to these naive questions in the current climate but it is somewhat disappointing that they haven't even been asked. - Yours, etc,
PAUL FARRELL, Clyde Lane, Dublin 4.