Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to thank the Senator for her tireless campaigning for this development. It is the sixth time she has raised it in this Chamber and the second time with me. I know her work on the Moore Street advisory group has been key to the progress. I am happy to give her an update on where we are at and what is coming but first I wish to pick her up on one comment.

I love Moore Street. I grew up going down Moore Street and Henry Street. The Senator will be no different herself. It was just part of our childhood and going into do shopping in Henry Street or O’Connell Street, popping down to see the traders at Moore Street. I want to pick up on something the Senator said. Following the very sad night of riots in the city before Christmas, I was required to spend a lot more time in that part of the city and it was an honour to be required to spend more time there and with the traders and shops of Moore Street and that area.The Senator is dead right; it is a wonderful place. There is a lot of diversity, and while it is the cradle of our Republic, for me it is also very much the blueprint of what our Republic should look like in the next 20 years. It deserves that attention from both the local authority and central government. I echo those sentiments the Senator made and underline my personal commitment.

As she will be aware from previous statements here, the OPW has engaged a professional design team to progress the Moore Street project. These parties have for the past several months been engaged in a complete review and reappraisal of the project, taking into account the lapse in time since the earlier phase of work and addressing additional requirements of building compliance, sustainability and other factors arising in recent years since the project went into abeyance. Additionally, it has been engaged in a fresh reappraisal of the surrounding development landscape in Dublin 1.

As the Senator will be aware, a number of planning applications are in train in the immediate area around the Moore Street houses and these will, when they have been resolved, have a significant impact on the work of the national monument. This is especially important since it is clear these developments will, if they proceed as planned, alter the approach that had previously been envisaged as regards one of side of the commemorative site and will mean a large part of the earlier project in that location will have to be redesigned. However, given a number of these matters are under appeal to An Bord Pleanála, that issue is somewhat uncertain.

The review and reappraisal work concluded late last year and, as might have been expected, has given rise to significant adjustments to the project. This was done in a vacuum, given there is still no resolution to the five planning applications that surround the Moore Street houses on three of its sides. However, the OPW has continued to press on and has tried to plan for the project as best it can. Although the indicated changes are largely technical in nature and will certainly not affect the outcome of the project overall, they are nevertheless important in that they will necessitate some significant replanning of the work involved and will have a time implication. Following the presentation of the work of the design team before Christmas, these matters have been considered by the OPW project team, which has issued instructions to proceed. The future phases of work that need to be organised have, therefore, in recent weeks been programmed and work on the next phase is under way.

I appreciate that the Senator may be disappointed the project is taking time to advance. I share that disappointment but I caution that we are trying to bring forward two projects in tandem, one involving in the legacy buildings in Moore Street and the other a full new public building on a site to the rear of No. 15. Either of these projects on their own is a substantial undertaking but we are attempting to bring both forward together in an uncertain development landscape and this presents a considerable challenge. I should caution that the project is still in a potentially vulnerable position as regards any unforeseen issues that arise and any dates I advance at this stage must be regarded as provisional and subject to later change should the circumstances change. Nevertheless, given what we know now, this is the timeframe the OPW expects. A number of other matters have been addressed by the OPW most recently to progress the project, and while I would like to share them with the Senator, my time is running out, so I might do that in my supplementary reply.