Dublin retailers face 13 planning cases on O’Connell Street

Dublin City Council opened 13 enforcement cases against O’Connell Street traders and building owners since the start of September, The Irish Times reported on Oct. 17.

The action matters for retailers because failure to comply with the planning enforcement process can lead to fines of up to €5,000, the report said, as Dublin seeks to improve its main thoroughfare.

The cases involve alleged breaches tied to signs, shopfront alterations, neon displays, digital advertising boards, canopies and flags. The measures fall under Special Planning Control Scheme bylaws, a local planning framework that sets rules for designated streets.

Businesses named in the report include Circle K, Paddywagon Tours, Peter Mark, Allcare Pharmacy, Ned Kelly’s Casino, Imperial Entertainment, Fortune Terrace Buffet, Encha, Yuriko, Pick & Pay, Arisu Photo Booth and Green Island Supermarket.

The Irish Times said council records showed Ned Kelly’s Casino faced a case concerning digital and neon signage, a canopy and outdoor screens that Dublin City Council regarded as outside planning conditions. Imperial Entertainment faced a separate case over signage on its front facade, the report said.

The enforcement push follows the appointment earlier this year of civil servant Robert Watt to lead Dublin City Development Company. The company was formed to carry out recommendations from the Government-established Dublin City Taskforce, which was asked to advise on O’Connell Street renewal, dereliction and city-centre security.

Dublin City Development Company cannot enforce planning law. The Irish Times reported that the body is understood to have used Dublin City Council’s complaints process after reviewing premises on O’Connell Street, with the council then opening enforcement cases.

The report said Watt told an Irish Planning Institute conference earlier this month that Dublin City Council had not properly enforced planning laws on O’Connell Street businesses. No response from the named retailers was included in the supplied report.

Dublin has two Special Planning Control Schemes covering Grafton Street, O’Connell Street and surrounding areas. They address architectural conservation, property uses, building heights, advertising, shopfronts, vacancy and civic identity.

The same planning framework was used earlier this month when Dublin City Council barred a proposed restaurant in the former Ulster Bank branch on O’Connell Street from offering takeaway food service, The Irish Times reported. City councillors have raised concerns about the number of fast-food outlets on the street, where about a dozen provide takeaway services.

Source: news report, The Irish Times, Oct. 17