Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if, prior to the decision to locate the new Abbey Theatre on George's Dock, the acquisition of Eden House was considered as part of a plan to redevelop the Abbey on its present site; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Eden House is for sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26936/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The current combined area of the Abbey and Peacock Theatres is 4950 Sq Metres. The Accommodation Brief for the new Abbey Theatre requires approximately 12,220 Sq Metres. It has long been clear that the existing site would not accommodate the requirements of the Abbey and Peacock after redevelopment. Accordingly, at my request, the Office of Public Works (OPW) investigated the suitability and feasibility of expanding the space available at the existing site by acquiring adjacent properties. OPW concluded in this context that the necessary expansion would require the acquisition of Nos 15-25 Eden Quay. This would have included Eden House (Nos 15-17).

In 2003, OPW commissioned Hamilton Osborne King to examine the feasibility of these acquisitions. This study concluded that acquiring the various interests in these properties would cost well in excess of reasonable market price and would take a considerable time to assemble. At the time of the report, there were approximately twenty-six interests in these properties on Eden Quay. Ten were investors/owner occupiers and the remaining sixteen were tenants. In addition, eight of these properties were listed buildings under the Dublin City Development Plan. This report concluded that the "most practical, economic, and timely solution to re-housing the Abbey would be to move the theatre to a pre-assembled site".

Following careful and thorough examination of a number of alternatives, the Government decided that the Abbey should be redeveloped at a site at George's Dock, which was offered free of charge for this purpose by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA).