In mid-October, David Evans, a resident of Dalkey, Co Dublin, had an application to extend his home refused by An Bord Pleanβla. Located on the Vico Road, Mr Evans's property is called Sorrento Cottage and dates from the 19th century. Originally just one-storey high, a second floor was added to Sorrento Cottage at some later date and further modifications also took place. For a short period in the 1920s, the building was home to playwright Lennox Robinson.
In its present state, the cottage looks charming but is certainly not of major architectural merit, suffering visually from the presence of a single-storey extension incorporating a garage and conservatory. Subject to planning permission, the current owner intended to demolish this block and, while retaining the original cottage, construct what his application describes as "a two-storey dwelling-house with domestic garage."
Decision appealed
In January, the application to undertake this work received permission from D·n Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council but that authority's decision was quickly appealed by An Taisce and as a result the matter went to An Bord Pleanβla with the results already mentioned.
It is highly unlikely that Mr Evans's efforts to develop his home would have received any public attention except that he is more widely known as U2 guitarist The Edge. Inevitably, therefore, the result of An Taisce's appeal appeared in various newspapers, including this one.
Now An Taisce is a very fine body undertaking a lot of work which should, in a society more respectful of the environment, be the responsibility of local and national government with the support of the electorate. Instead, An Taisce frequently finds itself battling against the short-term and short-sighted venality which has wreaked such havoc on this State's appearance over the past couple of decades.
The organisation describes its mission as being "to conserve and protect the best of Ireland's natural environment and built heritage". Although a prescribed body under planning legislation, An Taisce is a national treasure still too little appreciated by those in authority.
Nevertheless, over the business of Mr Evans's home, An Taisce's intervention has to be questioned owing to the implications arising from An Bord Pleanβla's explanation for its judgment. In particular, the board objects not just to the scale but also to the design of the proposed extension to Sorrento Cottage regarding the outcome as "visually intrusive".
There can be no doubt that the Dalkey/Killiney area is one of exceptional natural beauty and therefore constantly vulnerable to enormous pressure from potentially ruinous developments. The risk is hardly new. In Peter Pearson's book on this part of Dublin, Between the Mountains and the Sea, he describes how around 1840 a plan had been prepared by a private builder to construct houses all over Killiney Hill. Nothing came of these intentions and the hill eventually became a public amenity.
Control necessary
Controlling the quantity of development is critically important therefore, not just along the coastline of south Dublin but right across the State. However, so too is investigating the quality of any proposed building work and this is why An Taisce's objections to the extension of Sorrento Cottage may prove to have been unhelpful.
The Dalkey/Killiney region, which is classified by the local authority as a conservation area, has immense appeal owing to its late 18th and 19th century character. The problem is that preserving such character often encourages pastiche rather than original design. There is now an abundance of the former but scarcely any of the latter in the D·n Laoghaire-Rathdown jurisdiction. Worthy intentions lead to architectural inanimation with nothing new added to the blend of properties. Instead of revitalisation, the area risks becoming frozen within a false vision of the past whereby what is called its "special amenity" is preserved and all prospect of positive development discouraged.
An Bord Pleanβla believes the character of Sorrento Cottage's proposed extension would be "visually intrusive", interfering "with views of special amenity value". On this basis, it could be argued that the nearby Sorrento Terrace, erected in the 19th century, ought to be demolished because it intrudes on views of Killiney Bay. Indeed, perhaps all properties along the south Dublin coastline could be cleared away so that uninterrupted panoramic perspectives might be available to anyone wishing to enjoy them. But of course this will never happen because the majority of buildings now sited along the coast actually enhance its appeal and are not perceived as being "visually intrusive".
Visually intrusive
So does this mean that no further development can take place, regardless of any inherent architectural merits? On the basis of the description provided to the planning authorities, Mr Evans's intended design for his home extension seems contemporary in character with what An Bord Pleanβla calls "extensive areas of flat roof and glazing". Since these are categorised as "visually intrusive," evidently they are not to the taste of the planning authority or to that of An Taisce, which objected to the permission granted by D·n Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council.
But Sorrento Cottage, as it now appears, is the product of different eras during which the structure was modified on a number of occasions. This is a common feature of almost all buildings; either they adapt to changing circumstances or they risk fossilization. Provided the quality of the work is sufficiently high, change is not bad but beneficial.
There is very little new architecture of merit to be found in the Dalkey/Killiney area or indeed elsewhere around the country. On the other hand, there is far too much second-rate design dependant upon a debased interpretation of earlier styles offered by the purveyors of pastiche.
Inadequate encouragement is given to the development of better awareness of contemporary architecture's merits. Right now, Sorrento Cottage is not a building of great significance. However, if remodelled successfully, it could become so and add to the country's too meagre stock of good buildings. That is unlikely to happen because of An Taisce's objection to the original planning approval.