OPW warns MetroLink will have ‘severe, negative’ impact on St Stephen’s Green

The State agency that maintains St Stephen’s Green in Dublin has expressed concern that the Dublin MetroLink project “would have a direct, severe, negative, profound and permanent impact” on the heritage value of the urban public park.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is planning to locate a MetroLink station partly under St Stephen’s Green and in a hard-hitting submission, a consultancy firm acting for the Office of Public Works (OPW) has told An Bord Pleanála that the risk of damage to the park from the Dublin MetroLink station “is unacceptable”.

Planning documentation lodged on behalf of TII states that the St Stephen’s Green MetroLink station “is to be located on the east side of St Stephen’s Green park, lying partly under the boundary of the park, the pavement, and extending part way under the western side of St Stephen’s Green East roadway”.

The 186-page planning report lodged with the draft Railway Order application notes that “the preferred station location option was chosen as it significantly reduces the impact on St Stephen’s Green Park when compared to options fully within the park”.

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The MetroLink scheme is to comprise 16 new stations running from Swords to Charlemont and will carry 53 million passengers per year.

The OPW is charged with operating and maintaining St Stephen’s Green and on its behalf Downey Planning contends that the current design of the station “will have irreparable impacts on the biodiversity, built heritage, landscape and design, and the experience of the public park”.

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An Bord Pleanála has confirmed that it has received 318 submissions on the draft Railway Order seeking the planning go-ahead for the project and is aiming to deliver a decision on the draft order by May this year.

Downey Planning notes that St Stephen’s Green is the country’s best known public park, attracting 4.4 million visitors annually.

The consultant claims that “construction of the station as currently proposed will result in permanent change to the architectural form of the green”.

The consultant also says that if any of three alternative locations for the MetroLink station were adopted, the likely overall impact on St Stephen’s Green would, according to the OPW, “be substantially reduced with specific potential impacts eliminated or considerably reduced in scale and scope”.

The submission states that “of the 800 trees growing within the green, 225 will be possibly impacted by this project”.

“The proposal to fell 64 trees, along with the potential impact on numerous other trees within this National Monument will permanently damage one of Ireland’s favourite parks”.

The consultant concludes that “thus, the Metrolink as proposed, risks fundamentally altering the special character of the Green and the changes will be visible for generations to come”.