Suggestions that the Government might sell or lease some of its finest buildings have caused alarm, writes Arthur Beesley, Political Reporter.
Things are different in Paris. The Musée d'Orsay, one of the world's foremost art galleries, is in a former railway station. In Dublin, too, there is a fine old former railway station. Located at the top of Harcourt Street, the building is now a restaurant.
The contrast merits reflection as the Government examines what to do with the landmark buildings occupied by Government Departments which are now to be moved from Dublin.
These include the Office of Public Works at St Stephen's Green; the Department of Defence at Infirmary Road; the Department of Education at Marlborough Street; and the Department of Environment at the Custom House.
The Minister of State in charge of the OPW, Mr Tom Parlon, has made it clear that multi-million-euro returns are being sought from the State's vast property portfolio because the Government wants the decentralisation project to be self-financing. "That depends substantially on getting a plus out of our Dublin property," he said this week.
Mr Parlon said the Government would not sell the Custom House, but he mooted sale of the OPW's building at St Stephen's Green and spoke of "commercial use" for the Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park.
He said the Custom House was the exception due to its history and added that the listed status of other buildings did not mean the State had to hold on to them.
With a group within the OPW already examining its options, Mr Parlon's comments were greeted with alarm yesterday by the opposition. Labour's environment spokesman, Mr Eamon Gilmore, said Mr Parlon was behaving like the Government's "national auctioneer". The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, argued against the prospect of public buildings becoming "private penthouses".
There is no doubt the Government hopes to save some of its enormous rent bill for office buildings in Dublin by moving Departments away from the city. According to the OPW's annual report, rents paid by the Government for offices grew to €98.46 million in 2002 from €70.81 million.
Rents forgone would certainly free significant amounts of money to pay for decentralisation, but Mr Parlon strongly implied that the Government would look beyond the cancellation of leases when seeking to raise money.
While the Department of Agriculture building was likely to be retained for use as a possible extension of the Leinster House complex, others of greater architectural standing are now likely to be examined for possible sale.
The history of previous disposals is worth remembering. Last year a block of Georgian buildings in Merrion Street, directly opposite Government Buildings, was sold by a British company to a private investor for more than €8 million.
The four buildings were originally sold by the State for €634,869 in 1992 when the OPW disposed of 13 buildings in the street. These include what is now the Merrion Hotel, one of the plushest in town. The buildings were in poor condition when sold and required major renovation.
Leaving aside the significant rise in property values in the 10 years to 2002, and the renovation work, the 1992 deal proved a charmed investment for the company that bought the property. The new owner now has a prime investment in the heart of the capital. In old money the State's return was £500,000.
Conservationists have urged Mr Parlon to think twice about selling buildings of distinction.
The An Taisce heritage officer, Mr Ian Lumley, said: "The public buildings that the State has inherited from the 18th and 19th century, which are clearly in very sensitive locations, should remain public buildings."