The Green Party has welcomed yesterday's High Court decision on Moore Street and called on Dublin's City Council's Chief Executive to fast-track the preparation of Local Area Plan for the Street and its environs.The Green Party's Ciarán Cuffe who represents the Moore Street area as a City Councillor for the North Inner City stated:"Yesterday's High Court judgement is an important step forward in protecting the built heritage of the area.We now need a commitment from the Senior Management Team of the City Council that they will take action to honour this judgement. They must now proceed with preparing the Local Area Plan that the Green Party proposed to protect the area. The City Council's planners have lagged behind teh Office of Public Works in recognising the heritage value of buildings on the site. This must now cease and further buildings must be added to the list of Ptrotected Structures in the City;s Development Plan which is under review."We know that the Chief Executive Owen Keegan has met with representatives of the site's new owners, UK-listed property group Hammerson and Allianz Real Estate. We do not know what discussions took place, but the protection of the older buildings and the 1916 battlefield site must be placed at the heart of any discussions.We know that last year Senior Officials proposed the selling off of their buildings on Moore Street to facilitate the out-dated Dublin Central development. Planning Permission for that scheme expires next year. It is now time to facilitate a sensitive mixed-use development that protects the past. Any plans for comprehensive redevelopment for another shopping mall must now be put aside. The provision of new housing should be fundamental to any developer's plans."Colm Moore and the 1916 Relatives who took the case must be congratulated, along with Dr. Pat Wallace, former Director of the National Museum who gave valuable evidence."ENDS

Page last updated 19th March 2016