Hammerson legal move shows “breathtaking disregard”

Moore Street Preservation Trust spokesperson James Connolly Heron has criticised the decision by developer Hammerson to take a High Court challenge against Dublin City Council for protecting key historic Moore Street buildings.

Hammerson have lodged judicial review proceedings against Dublin City Council, following a council vote in November to classify six buildings as protected structures.

A spokesperson for Hammerson said the six buildings were subject to three respective grants of planning permission by Dublin City Council in January 2022 and are currently subject to appeal at An Bord Pleanála.

“Following careful consideration in consultation with its advisers,” the spokesperson said.

“DCGP has been compelled to take this action to defend and protect its interests, including substantial investments already made, against what it believes are inappropriate and unlawful actions taken by Dublin City Council in adding the six structures to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS).”

James Connolly Heron, a great grandson of 1916 leader James Connolly, said the council must ‘resist this attempt at bullying by the developers.’

“The decision by Hammerson and Associates to seek a judicial review of the decision taken by the elected members of Dublin City Council to list buildings linked to the 1916 Rising shows a breath-taking disregard for the historic importance of the last extant 1916 battleground in the city.

“This is not the first time that Hammerson have considered taking legal action against the City Council.

“Like their predecessors they also threatened to issue proceedings to prevent city officials from gaining access to inspect these buildings on foot of motions adopted by councillors to have them added to the list of protected structures.

“Their claim that they wish to ‘sensitively rejuvenate this historic part of the city’ is certainly not reflected in the proposals presented to city planners to date. Their plan to redraw streets and laneways and interfere with and demolish buildings and structures within an area described by the National Museum of Ireland as ‘the most important historic site in modern Irish history’ does not meet the agreed recommendations of the Advisory Group to Minister Darragh O Brien, the position of the City Council or the objectives of the Dublin Development Plan.

“The claim by the developers that the listing of historic buildings represents an interference with the planning process is laughable given that Hammerson themselves were party to discussions on a proposed publicly funded compensation package to traders sanctioned by the City Council Executive and the Ministers Department despite their position as decision-makers on the Hammerson planning applications for Dublin Central. There could be no greater interference with the independence of the planning process than that.

“Dublin City Council must resist this attempt at bullying by the developers and continue by all manner and means to secure, protect and preserve this historic area in the public interest.”