Marie Sherlock (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this question today. It is directed to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, who controls public expenditure in this country but who is also a Minister in the constituency this question is relevant to.

On many streets in Dublin, and particularly in Dublin's north inner city, we see dereliction and vacant buildings. Despite the brilliant effort of many groups to bring unity and energy to our communities, the reality is that dereliction sucks the spirit and life out of areas. Nowhere is this more true than at Aldborough House on Portland Row. Stepping back from the bleak hoarding and security sign on the wall, Aldborough House is an imposing and brooding presence. It serves no function or purpose and makes no contribution to the area. Historically, it is one of the most important Georgian buildings in the city and it is also really important culturally. It hosted the first ever theatre on the island of Ireland. It was also home to artists' studios for a period of time. Physically, it is really important because it is in an inner-city area where housing, childcare and artists' spaces are in really short supply.

Ironically, Aldborough House was in State hands for approximately a third of its life, between 1922 and the 1990s. An Post then sold it to the Irish Music Rights Organisation and it is now in private hands. While we see the State and Dublin City Council putting money into the building to secure the windows, this is far from enough. It is located just around the corner from Seán MacDermott Street and the location of the Magdalen laundry. Of course, there are now very exciting plans for the Magdalen laundry on Seán MacDermott involving the commemoration of all that took place there and in mother and baby homes across the country. However, to develop the Seán MacDermott Street mother and baby home while failing to do anything with this brooding presence on Portland Row would be a failure of ambition for Dublin's north inner city.

During the week, we saw the State investing money into Dowth Hall. It is fantastic that the State has purchased that building and other buildings across the country. The time is now right to buy Aldborough House on Portland Row. It is hard to underestimate the lift it would give to the communities of the north inner city, particularly those of Portland Row, Seán MacDermott Street and the area around the Five Lamps, for this building to be upgraded and opened. I am very conscious that there have been many campaigns over many years to get the State and Dublin City Council to buy this building and that, to date, there has been no progress. An Taisce, Róisín Lonergan, the Five Lamps Arts Festival and many others have been involved in those campaigns. We live at a time of incredible surpluses in our public finances. The key test of these times is the permanent impact of how we use this money. Nowhere would this impact be felt more than in the buying of this building and ensuring that it is available to the communities of the north inner city, whether as badly needed artists' space, housing or childcare. I appeal to the Government to seriously consider purchasing this building and putting in place an initiative to ensure it is of benefit to the communities of the inner city.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. I am taking this Commencement matter on his behalf. Aldborough House is an 18th century mansion in Dublin city on Portland Row, as Senator Sherlock has outlined. Originally built for the Earl of Aldborough between 1793 and 1799, the classical Palladian design with quadrant walls and flanking pavilions is attributed to Richard Johnson. In 1813, it was leased to a private school and afterwards became an army barracks in the mid-19th century. It is currently in third-party private ownership, as the Senator has also outlined.

As a building on the register of protected structures, Aldborough House is eligible for financial support provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the relevant local authority under the built heritage investment scheme and the historic structures fund, HSF. Applications by the owner of the property for HSF funding have been successful in recent years, with €50,000 awarded in 2021 for repairs to the cut-granite facade, conservation of timber sash windows and other repairs. This year, a further €44,000 was awarded for further conservation and repair of timber sash windows and the timber-panelled entrance doors. These schemes provide assistance to owners of historic buildings in following through on their duty of care to these important historic structures.

Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage in their area by including structures of special interest on the register of protected structures, RPS. Inclusion on the RPS places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and gives local authorities obligations and powers to safeguard their future. I note that the structure in question is already on the RPS of Dublin City Council.

Aldborough House remains an imposing Palladian mansion despite its current condition and retains most external detailing with impressive side and rear elevations. The survival of Aldborough House contributes to the sense of continuity, interest and significance of this area of Dublin, which at the time of its construction was the north-eastern fringe of the city, overlooking the newly opened Royal Canal.

I understand that discussions took place between the Office of Public Works, OPW, and Dublin City Council regarding this property in 2020. This was an assessment of the viability of acquiring the property and potentially bringing this building into use as an office development. The general agreement was that this property was not suitable for this purpose. It did not appear to be viable to develop it as office space when the magnitude of investment required to conserve the protected structure was compared to the market rents in the area. This made it unsuitable for consideration by the OPW.

Following discussion within OPW in 2020, the view was formed that, as a straight commercial proposition, the development of the Five Lamps property was not viable. However, there would be a different economic analysis if this were considered as an urban regeneration project. If the project outcomes were anchored in issues such as societal change, reduction in crime, raising of confidence in the region, opening up a gateway for further development in the north inner city and the restoration of an important protected structure, perhaps there would be funding available. There could be an opportunity for Dublin City Council to explore this, perhaps with urban regeneration and development funding. I note that Aldborough House is noted in the Dublin city development plan within the north-east inner city strategic development regeneration areas as a focal point for the local community.

For obvious reasons the State must be selective in its acquisition of historic buildings. Purchasing protected structures solely for purposes of conservation would introduce uncertainty as to where responsibility for safeguarding lies and may lead to perverse outcomes. Acquiring historic buildings for other public purposes would require a clear plan for their use and a strong rationale in terms of cost and public good. While the OPW recognises the historic significance of the Aldborough House, no immediate cultural or artistic use presents itself. However, the OPW would be open to engaging with the local authority or the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage should a suitable proposition be developed for the conservation and use of the house in the future.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Let me be clear that my interest and that of others involved in campaigns over the year is not only in conservation and admiring a relic of the past but in having a living building for the present and the future. I hear what the Department is saying with regard to the possibility of a different economic analysis. To be frank, it feels a bit tortured that this has not happened up to now. However, if the door is open to analysing the use of the building on the basis of different criteria, namely those the Minister of State mentioned, including "societal change, reduction in crime [and] raising of confidence in the region", then let us do that. However, let us not have the Government sit back. It is in the gift of the Government to push through this economic analysis with the OPW and Dublin City Council.At a time when we have a Government saying it is committed to ending vacancy and dereliction, we cannot tolerate a hands-off approach. I welcome what the Minister of State said in the last part of his contribution but I urge the Department to urgently solve this matter.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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In the initial part of the Senator's response, she said she wants the place to be preserved not just as a relic, but also as a living and breathing place where there is a lot of activity. That counters her second point because for that to happen, local involvement is required. It is not something the Government can impose on people because that will not work. In my experience, it has to be a locally led idea or initiative with the local authority playing a key part. The pathway for that has been outlined in the response. I understand the Senator's frustration at the length of time that it has taken to reach the current point. Dublin City Council, through this response, is being given a clear pathway through the urban regeneration fund, as opposed to the original pathway. I get the very strong sense from this response that the Government will not be found wanting if the appropriate plan is put in place to develop the building, as outlined by the Senator. It must be somewhere that will have a very clear purpose in the community in the future, and not just a building. The site has really good potential for being a focal point for the local community and I hope to see that developed in the future.