La Stampa tampers with history

BUSINESSMAN Louis Murray’s La Stampa hotel on Dawson Street in Dublin has been given a stern rap on the knuckles by the conservation division of Dublin City Council.

It has accused the hotel of “an appalling breach and avoidance of responsibility” under the Planning and Development Act 2000 following “the crude manner in which windows were ripped out and stone features removed” from the building’s façade to allow the installation of a terrace for drinking and smoking. The conservation division said it could not be considered “an appropriate intervention into the historic character or fabric of the building, nor can it be supported as best practice in this high profile streetscape”. The hotel had sought permission to retain the works but the local authority refused, saying it would lead to a deterioration of the shop front and have “a detrimental impact on the character and quality of the existing protected structure” and “set an undesirable precedent for similar development in the vicinity”.