The Office of Public Works (OPW) has doubled down on its opposition to the planned MetroLink station at Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green, citing a “direct, severe, negative, profound and permanent impact” on national heritage, new planning documents show.
Despite 24 commitments made to the OPW during the course of planning hearings last February by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the State body developing the €9.5 billion rail line, the use of the park remained “unagreed”, the OPW said.
The 18.8km MetroLink line would run from Swords to Charlemont, with 16 stops serving areas including Dublin Airport and the city centre. The planning application for the line was submitted by TII to An Bord Pleanála Pléanala in September 2022 with TII anticipating a 12-18 month planning process.
In August 2023, the board confirmed it would hold public hearings on the project. The hearings opened on February 19th of this year and closed on schedule on March 28th. However, with just two days to go before the end of the hearing, board inspector Barry O’Donnell said there would be a “requirement to readvertise” the project due to new information submitted by TII.
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TII submitted close to 200 additional documents during the hearing, including 39 on the first day. Public consultation on the additional information was reopened in August and closed earlier this month.
During the course of the hearings last February, the OPW clashed with TII, saying the transport body’s plans for a metro station at St Stephen’s Green amounted to “demolition or destruction” of the historic park.
It had particular concerns about the removal of 64 trees to accommodate a MetroLink station at the northeastern corner of the park close to the Shelbourne Hotel, as well as the relocation of monuments in the park.
Senior counsel for TII Declan McGrath told the hearing TII “does not accept the proposition that MetroLink works will result in demolition of St Stephen’s Green”.
In its submission on the further information earlier this month, the OPW said while it wanted to express its “overall support for the MetroLink project” and that agreement had been reached with TII on “many of the matters raised” in its previous submissions, it was holding fast to its position in relation to the use of St Stephen’s Green.
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“While the OPW supports the objective of modern metro infrastructure for Dublin and the State, the OPW is also of the view that delivery of such infrastructure cannot be at the expense of Ireland’s national heritage,” its new submission said.
TIIs proposals “would not seem sufficiently sympathetic to the history and environment of the spaces within and around the Green”, the OPW said.
“St Stephen’s Green is Ireland’s oldest and best-known urban public park” and “holds significant historical and legal status”. The proposed station location “would have a direct, severe, negative, profound and permanent impact on the heritage value of the Green”, the submission said.
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The OPW submission is among more than 40 new submissions made to the board, which are now being assessed by its inspectors. “The board cannot say at this juncture if it considers it necessary or not to reopen an oral hearing,” a spokesman said.
A spokesman for TII’s MetroLink programme said: “TII welcomes the conclusion of the second round of public consultation and looks forward to continued engagement with An Bord Pleanála in the next stages. As a responsible applicant, TII remains committed to proactive stakeholder engagement throughout the project’s life cycle.”
