Glasnevin chimney set to be protected

A LANDMARK chimney stack on the old Players’ Tobacco factory site at Botanic Road is set to be added to Dublin City Council’s list of protected structures.

Local TD, Róisín Shortall, recently asked council officials to survey the red-brick chimney and they’ve now recommended that it should be added to the list.

Local councillors considered the recommendation at a recent area meeting and have approved the report. The final step is to put the proposal before a meeting of the full council where it is expected to be passed.

When that happens it’ll mean the chimney can’t be knocked down or altered without written approval from the council, and there can be heavy fines imposed if any unauthorised works take place.

“It is an elegant local landmark and an important part of the social history of Glasnevin,

? said Deputy Shortall.

“It’s vital that we hold on to as much of our heritage as possible as once we’ve lost it, it’s gone forever.

“The area surrounding the chimney has been earmarked for residential development. It’s important that these protections are put in place before any development takes place.

“The red-brick facade of the chimney should also help set a high quality tone for any future development of the site.

?

The chimney was built in 1935 on the site of the former factory. The factory facade and associated front boundary which fronts Botanic Road is already a protected structure and the chimney already had a lower level of protection.

The Players’ factory was a vital source of employment between the two world wars when cigarette sales were at an all time high. Officials who surveyed the site say that as a major employer in the Dublin area, the site is of social and architectural interest.

They also pointed out that it’s a local landmark visible from several vantage points in the area and a reminder of the former industrial use of the site.