Stunned to the point of speechlessness. That was the reaction of all concerned when An Bord Pleanala announced yesterday that it had turned down the National Gallery's plans for a major extension in Clare Street.
Even conservationists who objected to the proposed demolition of No. 5 South Leinster Street, a much-altered mid-18th century house adjoining an already cleared site, were quite taken aback by the fact that the board had made its decision exclusively on conservation grounds.
The general expectation on all sides was that An Bord Pleanala would grant planning permission subject to revised conditions, lopping 30 feet off the controversial tower, which was part of the scheme, as well as requiring the retention of a Regency ballroom to the rear of No. 5. Nobody, not least the National Gallery, anticipated a blank refusal.
In general, the appeals board tends to facilitate the plans of public bodies; indeed, few can recall it delivering such a slap in the face, other than to the Office of Public Works over its Luggala visitor centre in Co Wicklow.
In the case of Clare Street, the board said it considered the structures proposed for demolition - No. 5 South Leinster Street and the ballroom to the rear - to be "of architectural merit" and "worthy of preservation, notwithstanding the mid-19th-century alterations".
It noted that the proposed gallery extension would be located in an area where Dublin Corporation's city plan aimed "to protect the existing architectural and civic design character and to allow only for limited expansion consistent with the conservation objective".
The board said that the demolition of No. 5 South Leinster Street - which is not officially listed for preservation - would materially contravene this objective and, therefore, the gallery extension, as proposed, would be "contrary to the proper planning and development of the area".
As a major public institution with a national cultural remit, the gallery had gone about preparing its plans for Clare Street with some care. Two years ago, long after acquiring the property, it decided to hold an international architectural competition for the £12.5 million project.
The eight firms of architects invited to enter this contest - including such luminaries as Daniel Liebskind - were told to assume that they were dealing with a cleared site; in other words, No. 5 South Leinster Street could be demolished. This was the gallery's biggest mistake.
Benson and Forsyth, the respected firm of British architects, won the competition because of what the adjudicators saw as the "powerful vision" inherent in their angular, modern building filled with space and light. Dublin Corporation agreed and granted planning permission.
But An Taisce, the Irish Georgian Society and Mr Uinseann Mac Eoin, the veteran conservationist, disagreed. Apart from the demolition of No. 5 South Leinster Street, they were concerned about the intrusive effect of such a modern building on the approaches to Merrion Square. In the end, they won the argument.
The problem now for the National Gallery is that unless it can recast its plans in doublequick time - preserving No. 5, as An Bord Pleanala has effectively decreed - it runs the risk of losing EU aid for the project under the current round.