Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for her positive comments, which are most welcome. The question on the Iveagh Market is timely because last week we reached out to the Iveagh Trust to see how we can progress the matter. Like the Senator, I share the concerns of the wider community in Dublin and in the locality about the historic Iveagh Market. It is a beautiful structure with a huge social structure attached to it. The Senator is aware that it was repossessed by Mr. Edward Guinness last December, following much inaction on its redevelopment. That matter rests between the Iveagh Trust, Dublin City Council and a third party. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, and I are committed to reaching out to the Iveagh Trust to see where we can help. Our grant programmes are useful in issues like this but they require the establishment of clear lines of ownership, stewardship, etc., and they are not sufficient for a project of this scale, as the Senator has said. It is a huge project that will take a significant capital investment.

We are seeking to have a conversation with all parties to see how we can move this along with the Iveagh Trust and Dublin City Council. My role on protected structures is mainly advisory but we want to try to secure this before it deteriorates any further. We want to pull it back from the brink.

It would be fantastic to see it restored to its former glory.

On positive measures, I cannot specifically answer the question in respect of the national monuments legislation. I am not sure whether Mr. MacDonagh can. There are already mechanisms on protected structures in development plans. Members may have seen that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, recently submitted the updated national inventory of architectural heritage data for Dublin city. There were over 1,400 recommendations for the local authority to consider the protection of structures. That falls down to the role of the elected members of Dublin City Council. Therefore, we urge elected members to be proactive and to try to include as many structures as possible in the record of protected structures for the city development plan. This goes back to the point on having in place conservation officers to work with premises owners to ensure buildings do not fall into disrepair. The arrangement should not be used as a mechanism to allow buildings to deteriorate to a point where they have to be demolished. That should not be happening. I wholeheartedly agree in respect of the question but I cannot give any detail on whether our legislation will deal with the matter. Strengthening within the development plan should be the primary focus.