Save The Iveagh Gardens Campaign.
The Save the Iveagh Gardens campaign was started in 2017 in response to an OPW plan to use the North-East section of Iveagh Gardens as an apron for the four-story structure to be built on the adjoining NCH.
The plan will involve demolishing a large section of the protected wall, felling trees, and removing wildlife habitat. This will be replaced with hard landscaping, new railings, a new entrance, street lighting and bicycle racks.
It hard to understand the OPW's rationale in taking a bulldozer to this finely balanced heritage park.
Recently the OPW voiced their opposition to the proposed TII plan for Stephen's Green which they said could be ‘construed as demolition of part of Stephens Green'. The double standards between the OPW's attitude to the heritage of St. Stephens Green; a heritage park under their remit, and to the Iveagh Gardens - another heritage park under their remit, is baffling.
This proposed change will forever alter the unique character of this city gem and tourist attraction. A petition was launched in 2017 grew very quickly and now stands at over 46,000 signatures.
People care about Dublin's built heritage and are upset at the proposed interference with the character of this much valued city park. It is a worrying development that a part of Dublin's built heritage is to be radically altered by the state body the OPW who holds it in stewardship for the state and who's remit it is to 'protect, conserve and restore'.
The EU and the Iveagh Gardens
In 1993, an application was made by the OPW under a European Commission initiative for the conservation of the European architectural heritage. The policy objectives identified a policy framework in support of that application which was read into the record of Dáil Éireann by Minister Martin Mansergh in 2009:
to conserve and restore a unique city centre park, which has remained largely unaltered since its layout by the landscape architect Ninian Niven;
to improve public accessibility by constructing a new entrance from Hatch Street;
to focus attention on one of Ireland's most influential landscape architects and horticulturists, Ninian Niven, by conserving one of his few surviving landscape creations;
to conserve the internal and perimeter vegetation to screen out adjacent office blocks and building;
to highlight the large range of landscape features for public enjoyment and landscape appreciation; and
to restore these Gardens creating a major tourist attraction offering a unique landscape not available in other city parks and gardens in Dublin.
Back Ground
The OPW have been in dialogue since 2003 with the Irish Children’s Museum Limited (‘ICML’)to build a Irish Children’s Science Museum (“ICSM”) in Kilmainham and other locations and since 2013 re locating it in the NCH and Iveagh Gardens. After 2 arbitrations the OPW appear to be contractually bound to build the ICSM for ICML.
Questions
Why have the OPW not had any public presentations with the General Public, the OPW mgt, the promoters from ICML and local representatives about the ICSM?
Two mediations, press articles and extracts from the Oireachtas suggest governmental support has waned for the project. Viable - less expensive - alternatives to the ICSM plans have put forward by the OPW and the promoters of the ICML. Have these alternatives been given adequate consideration?
The Oireachtas reports suggest the OPW asked ICML to step back from a legal context and adopt a more conciliatory approach. Have they?
There is a lack of transparency on the projects costs to date and the extent of state support both on the capital and operational costs of an ICSM. Can clarification be brought on
the OPW costs to date ?
governmental support through grants and other means ICML
the budgets and timeframes for the build, fit out and operating costs with detail of who will fund what?
the yearly and cumulative funding to date raised by ICML from philanthropic sources?