A Dublin MEP has said that plans to build a nine story hotel around the historic Cobblestone pub in Smithfield should be refused. Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe described the proposed development as an over-scaled, crude, and soulless monument to greed, and said that Dublin can and must do better. Mr. Cuffe’s objection is one of dozens submitted to Dublin City Council, and more are expected in advance of the deadline for observations on 4^th November 2021. The Planning Application had been lodged by Marron Estates Ltd, and covers the lands and buildings at 77-80, King Street North, at the north end of Smithfield, Dublin 7.In his submission Mr. Cuffe said the proposed development will dominate and dwarf the adjacent listed buildings at 77, 80 and 81 King Street North, Dublin 7 and is completely out of scale with its surroundings. He said the Dublin City Development Plan seeks to promote the enhancement of existing cultural assets and the development of emerging cultural clusters and character areas. However he said that the proposed reduction in the floor area of the Cobblestone pub will adversely impact on its cultural role as well as its probable closure for many years if the development proceeds. He said the importance of a Protected Structure is not limited to its physical presence but is based in legislation on its interest from an architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social, or technical point of view. A prolonged closure, or the assimilation of the unique cultural character of the Cobblestone Pub into a hotel would severely impact on its cultural role.He went on to say that urban grain of the city will be severely damaged by the proposed development if it is granted permission. He said that the grain of the city is a measure of the pattern of building plots, building widths and streets in urban areas and would be severely impacted by the proposed plans. Older parts of the city tend to have a fine grain with many streets/lanes and smaller plots. This grain supports the diversity of economic, social, and cultural life to thrive, including the extraordinary cultural asset of the Cobblestone Pub. He said “The provision of a major development in the vicinity of this institution has the capacity to destroy or significantly disrupt the cultural treasure that the Cobblestone represents in the life of the city. The Cobblestone has been at the heart of Dublin’s thriving live music scene since the last century, and it would be a shame to see it engulfed by a modern hotel that would inevitable alter its character.”He also contends that the proposed nine story building would be in breach of the area’s designation as an area for low-rise development. The Development Plan states that Dublin City is fundamentally a low-rise city and that the intrinsic quality associated with this feature is protected, whilst also recognising the potential and need for taller buildings in a limited number of locations. Smithfield is not one of those locations and the proposed development exceeds the 28m threshold for low-rise. On a more technical note he stated that he Development Plan lists a plot ratio for this site as 2.5-3. The proposed plot ratio is 6. 4 exceeds the Development Plan by between 213% to 256%. He said that such a flagrant breach of the Development Plan would make a mockery of the Development Plan. He noted that the late Justice Niall McCarthy said that the Development Plan is a contract between the State and its people, and went on to say:“The breaching of the Plan is a breach of contract between the citizens and the State. If such an over-scaled development is to be granted it should be by way of material contravention of the Plan. The proposed development would have a dramatic and irreversible impact on the surrounding Protected Structures and should be refused. I want to see this part of the city developed further but it has to be done in a sensitive manner that respects the scale and importance of the surrounding buildings.”In conclusion he stated:“The proposed development takes its cue from the vacuous mediocrity of nearby dull 1990s tax-driven developments and adds the design equivalent of steroids to produce an over-scaled, crude, and soulless monument to greed. Dublin can and must do better." NoteMr. Cuffe’s submission on the Planning Application to Dublin City Council 3617/21 can be found at the following link.https://bit.ly/CufCSP