Sir, – Reading David Ehrlich's comments on the absurdly high rents that those living in Dublin must pay ("Ireland's biggest landlord: 'I feel bad for the Irish people'", Fiona Reddan, Business This Week, November 18th), I was reminded again of how the bizarre restriction on building heights continues to damage the city's development and sustainable urban living.
Have the city’s councillors and planners ever noticed that few city centre streets in Europe are lined, as those in Dublin are, with (often dilapidated) two-storey buildings? Have any of them travelled to, say, London lately and noticed the sheer scale and height of the apartment blocks under construction? Even in locations that would clearly benefit from buildings of real height (for example, the Docklands, where the river is wide), Dublin has opted for squat, low-rise blandness. The economic and other costs of such decisions – including a city sprawling into other counties – are absolutely huge. Subject to excellent planning and design, why can we not build up? – Yours, etc,
BILL CALLAGHAN,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.