Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A few weeks ago the Dáil unanimously supported the legislation of my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, to preserve and revitalise Moore Street through the legal recognition of an ceathrú chultúr, a Moore Street cultural quarter. Throughout the debate Teachtaí Dála from every party and political group articulated a shared vision for the most important historic site in modern Irish history, as described by the National Museum of Ireland. The proposed Hammerson plan relies heavily on a huge office development and will not retain the full terrace or preserve the historical building, and as we know, people do not visit Dublin to see more office blocks. Dublin City Council has voted unanimously to make Moore Street an architectural conservation area, a decision which now imposes strict planning controls on the demolition of buildings in the area so it is incomprehensible that the Government would hand over this historic site to a developer which is a busted flush. Hammerson has recorded a pre-tax loss of £1.7 billion last year. It has publicly confirmed that it is its intention to make further disposals to strengthen its balance sheet, and yet the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has repeatedly refused to meet with the 1916 relatives to discuss their architectural master plan, a detailed plan developed by a team of leading Irish architects, planners and conservationists that meets all of the agreed recommendations of the securing history report of the Minister's advisory group, the objectives of the Dublin development plan and so on.

Future generations will be scathing of the Taoiseach's Government if the Hammerson plan is allowed to proceed. I urge him to intervene urgently on this matter and ensure his Minister will meet Deputy Ó Snodaigh to secure and protect Moore Street as a cultural quarter.

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