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To: Ministers Darragh O'Brien & Patrick O'Donovan

Save The Iveagh Gardens

I am so happy to be able to inform you that the Save the Iveagh Gardens campaign will be ending very soon.
Save the Iveagh Gardens is now - Saved! The Iveagh Gardens.
The plan to build a plaza, fell the trees, destroy the beautiful old wall, destroy the wildlife habitat and last but not least build a giant four story museum on the perimeter encroaching on the gardens, will not now be happening.

I started this campaign with this petition in 2017.
I was aghast to realise that a protected structure like the Iveagh Gardens wasn't in fact protected at all.
I was bewildered that An Bord Pleannala granted permission for the plan to go ahead.
You know you have a big problem when the stewards of the city are the ones doing the damage.
It was an urgent wake up call, the realisation that the people charged with protecting our heritage aren't protecting it.
I wrote many, many, many emails to TDS & Councillors searching for sympathetic support in positions of influence.
I held two 'Listen to the Gardens' events in the Gardens which many of you attended.
The petition reached over 46,672 signatures. I couldn't believe how quickly they mounted.
At one stage I was pressured to take the petition down. I knew then there was a chance the campaign could win.
I didn't take it down, of course I didn't, the petition was the strongest weapon in the fight against this preposterous plan.
In the end we won.
Thank you to each and everyone of you who signed and helped this campaign to win.
Because of your support the Iveagh Gardens will remain intact for all of us to cherish and for future generations too.

Warm regards,

Pom Boyd

Save The Iveagh Gardens

To stop building in The Iveagh Gardens from going ahead.

Why is this important?

The Iveagh Gardens were given to the state by the 2nd Earl of Iveagh (Lord Iveagh) for the people of Ireland on the condition that they would not be built on and would be preserved intact as a 'lung' for the city. They are a protected structure, area of conservation (Z9) and a public park.
Part of The OPW's remit to the Gardens is to conserve 'a unique city centre park, which has remained largely unaltered since its layout by the landscape architect Ninian Niven'.
Incredibly an Bord Pleannala have granted permission for part of the Gardens to be used to accommodate a four story Children's Science centre.
The museum will be built at the East side of The Gardens where they adjoin the National Concert Hall. To facilitate it they will demolish the 140 year old wall, fell the magnificent old trees and destroy wildlife habitat. This precious woodland area of the park will be covered over by a new plaza, concrete ramps and street lighting. The scale of the four story building will visually impact on the Gardens to such an extent that the unique nineteenth century walled garden character will be destroyed forever.
This goes against the OPW's own remit; 'to conserve the internal and perimeter vegetation to screen out adjacent office blocks and buildings'. This development which demonstrates such casual disregard for a heritage structure and treasured public park must not be allowed to go ahead.
We strongly disagree with the planning reports conclusion which states; “On balance, the new building and plaza would make a positive contribution to the public realm and the works would not affect the integrity of the Iveagh Gardens which is a Protected Structure.”
As well as the destruction of the Gardens there are also financial questions
as to who will fund the running of the museum. It will cost over €3million a year to run, yet so far no government department has accepted responsibility to fund it.
Are we going to sacrifice a treasured public space for a large white elephant? We must not allow this expensive unwanted building plan to go ahead. Let the Ministers know that we want The Iveagh Gardens to remain intact, preserved and protected. Please sign and share this petition.

Iveagh Gardens, St Stephen's Green, Park, Dublin 2, D02 HX65, Ireland

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Categories

Updates

2022-05-11 15:09:23 +0100

Petition is successful with 46,673 signatures

2021-12-01 15:54:19 +0000

I am very happy to announce that the destructive plan I have been fighting against for the last four years will not now be going ahead.
This is fantastic news for our much loved Iveagh Gardens, great news for Dublin City and its citizens. Heartfelt gratitude and thanks to all of you who have spoken out in your 10's of thousands to show your love and respect for this unique city park.
https://www.dublininquirer.com/2021/11/03/grand-plans-for-a-children-s-science-museum-fizzle-as-planning-permission-set-to-run-out

2021-05-27 19:17:48 +0100

The PAC ( Public Accounts Committee)
Have written a damning report concerning the OPW's mismanagement of its building projects.
The report bolsters our belief that the Iveagh Gardens/NCH plan must be put under proper scrutiny in terms of accountability, transparency ,best practice and best use of public money.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/opw-criticised-over-86m-garda-hq-that-is-too-small-for-all-staff-1.4576830?mode=amp

2021-03-05 18:04:27 +0000

Thank you to everyone who has signed in recent days. It's amazing to watch the petition climbing so rapidly again to nearly 45k. Having fought this at times lonely battle for three years, it is energising and encouraging to see how much love and support there is for this precious and unique part of our built heritage. We're standing up for The Iveagh Gardens, we're standing up for our built heritage, we're standing up for our city wildlife. Thank you

2020-10-30 17:04:12 +0000

Thank you for signing. Your help in trying to Save the Iveagh Gardens is really appreciated. We are aiming to get to 50k we can do it!

2020-10-12 13:46:59 +0100

The OPW have informed The Save the Iveagh Gardens that the work which was to commence in The Autumn of 2020 (now) has been postponed till 2021. No date has been given. The campaign has raised the issue of the threat to the Iveagh Gardens with Minister Patrick O'Donovan who has replaced Kevin 'Boxer' Moran,as Minister with responsibility for the OPW. We are waiting to hear his response. The campaign has also contacted housing Minister Darragh O'Brien who has Heritage in his portfolio and Dublin's new Mayor Hazel Chu.

2020-02-05 20:47:42 +0000

Right. After a bit of a lull and a false sense of security the OPW have the plan back on the table for 2020. See (The Journal Sept '19) The prospect of the destruction of the wildlife habitat is just awful. A pair of Ravens can be spotted in the Gardens most mornings and there are many birds and bats that inhabit the gardens as well as the insects and all the other 'invisible' creatures that will go under the bulldozer when they clear the wood. There is no date set for the work to commence - yet. When there is we will mobilise to stop this destruction. The campaign will be calling on city dwellers, nature lovers, history lovers, lovers(!) garden lovers, architectural heritage lovers, landscape lovers, old wall lovers, peace lovers, green space lovers, as well as the musicians and comedians who have perform in The Gardens to stand in solidarity with The Iveagh Gardens. Watch This Space!
https://twitter.com/PomBoyd/status/1223604181249986561

2019-05-17 11:33:21 +0100

I wrote to most of the candidates standing in Dublin South East constituency and asked them where they stood on proposed Science Museum plan.
I got three responses so far.

Sarah Durcan(SD'S) : 'I've been following your campaign with interest for the past couple of years, and you have my full support!'

Jacqui GilBourne (Renua): The Iveagh Gardens should be left intact... i say no to any building leading to the loss of green space and the knocking of trees... there is enough building space without developing the Iveagh Gardens....'

Danny Byrne (FG):'I would like to meet you and or any of your neighbours at the gardens so as I can assess for myself.'

I'll post them as I get them.....

2018-11-19 21:03:49 +0000

20,000 signatures reached

2018-11-12 20:51:59 +0000

https://www.irishtimes.com/.../the-battle-for-the-future-of-the-iveagh-gardens-1.3683...
If you haven't seen it already This Article by Paddy Woodworth was in The Irish Times Saturday 3rd of November. Very grateful to Paddy for giving the threat to the Iveagh Gardens
a proper airing. Thank you also to Derek Speirs for generously allowing his photographs to be used.

2018-08-12 15:11:45 +0100

Great news! The Iveagh Gardens have been awarded a green flag by An Taisce in recognition that they are a QUALITY green space. This is a big boost to the Save the Iveagh Gardens Campaign. It is formal acknowledgment of the Gardens value as a city centre green space. Hats off to An Taisce for giving the Iveagh Gardens this important recognition and support! The OPW and Exploration Station have to listen to the growing opposition to their proposed plaza, perimeter destruction and four story concrete and glass building. If they continue with their plan it will be one of the worst cases of state sponsored destruction of a protected monument in recent decades.

2017-12-13 08:48:26 +0000

The OPW architect responsible for the Children's Museum was asked by Cllr. Chris Andrews to present the proposal of the new Children's Science Centre to Dublin City Council. I attended this meeting. The OPW architect referred to the Iveagh Gardens as they are now in pejorative language. The current entrance from NCH as 'a hole in the wall' the old wall as 'just a blank wall' and the trees as 'self seeded' the wooded area as an area of neglect. The OPW are not interested in people's concerns. Staggeringly when pressed on the sentence in the An Bord Pleannala report that states: A small section of the proposal would be partly located in the Iveagh Gardens'. The OPW architect replied 'That's an error'. An error? In the ABP report? A significant sentence in the report is wrong. And we are supposed to trust this report? The ABP planning report needs to be challenged.

2017-10-26 10:57:19 +0100

Inaccurate Article in the Irish Times by Olivia Kelly today states OPW development will GO UP TO THE BOUNDARY wall. This is not what the plan says. Notice they didn't use the photograph of the building that was in previous IT article back in February which shows clearly the impact on Iveagh Gardens https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/science-centre-will-not-be-built-in-iveagh-gardens-says-opw-1.3268633

2017-10-23 21:46:13 +0100

10,000 signatures reached

2017-10-22 12:50:56 +0100

5,000 signatures reached

2017-10-21 17:30:48 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2017-10-21 15:02:47 +0100

500 signatures reached

2017-10-21 11:43:47 +0100

100 signatures reached

2017-10-21 10:48:20 +0100

50 signatures reached

2017-10-21 09:45:09 +0100

25 signatures reached

2017-10-21 09:04:19 +0100

10 signatures reached