Plans for high-rise development in parts of the centre of Dublin will eliminate the city's historic character, according to an environmental group.
The National Conservation and Heritage Group (NCHG) says the spread of high rises will put visitors off coming to Dublin and many of the skyscrapers will be built in inappropriate locations where they will be "blots on the landscape".
In a submission opposing Dublin City Council's plans to permit skyscrapers of up to 150 metres in height, the group suggests that buildings over eight storeys in height are unsafe because they would not be accessible by the fire services in the event of a fire, collapse or flooding.
The council's plans to create "high density clusters" in parts of the city and allow high rises in selected suburbs has evoked strong opposition among environmental groups since they were published last week. Opponents plan an intensive lobby of city councillors to have the proposals overturned.
Damien Cassidy, chairman of the NCHG, claimed the council was contradicting itself by introducing high rises to many areas when, in regeneration work at Ballymun, it had blown up "perfectly sound" high-rise apartment blocks and replaced them with low-rise housing.
"Even if one were to accept that high rise is a necessity, and we do not accept this, the architecture involved in some of the high-rise buildings that have been allowed by Dublin city council planners is quite extraordinary." Existing high-rise buildings such as O'Connell Bridge House, the Central Bank and Hawkins House, had been "universally condemned" as being out of character with their surrounding areas, he said.
The council says its strategy is aimed at consolidating the city and minimising urban sprawl. The plans are currently on view at Civic Offices and the underlying report is available on www.dublincity.ie. The public is invited to make submissions before March 7th.