A LOT has been going on since ABP upheld the decision to grant permission fort the OPW/NCSC (ICML)to go ahead
The OPW were invited to appear before PAC to explain the deal the. 23 year old deal they had with the ICML and why they were being forced to proceed when, as demonstrated by the legal wrangling they have been involved in with ICML, they were clearly were reluctant. https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/33/committee-of-public-accounts/videos/#
Chris Andrews raised the Issue of the Iveagh Gardens in The Dail with Minister Kieran O’Donnell. Even the Ceann Comhairle was moved to ask questions. Videos of this were posted by me on Twitter and widely shared.
Prime Time did a Programme on the issue https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2024/0726/1461876-science-centre-plan-no-end-in-sight-for-70-million-museum-saga/
So it’s been extremely busy.
According to the NCSC the plan is set to go ahead in 2025.
The petition is to be relaunched.
To: Ministers Paschal Donohoe, Darragh O'Brien, Kieran O’Donell, Catherine Martin
Save The Iveagh Gardens
![](https://images.controlshift.app/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NjIwODAsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--82a295c22cfb3aab95692a92508675a128750e72/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJqcGciLCJzdHJpcCI6dHJ1ZSwicmVzaXplX3RvX2ZpdCI6WzcyNSwzMDBdfSwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--05a588c1e142679bab22bb471238ab7a02053981/Iveagh_gardens_under_threat_again_pic.jpg)
The Public want the Iveagh Gardens, which belong to the State, to be allowed to remain intact and the protected boundary wall to be left in place.
The protected boundary wall is in the way of the new Science Centre plan and that is why they want to demolish it.
In other European capital cities precious heritage parks like the Iveagh Gardens would be protected by the state.
Instead our Government has casually handed over a part of a heritage park to facilitate the interest of a small cohort.
This should be unthinkable
We call on the Government to recognise the value of the Iveagh Gardens in its current state and halt the proposed demolition of the boundary wall to facilitate the building of a Science Centre.
We call on our Governments Ministers to listen to the widespread public objections to the plan.
The Government should be uphold the rights and protections of our parks and not facilitate the diminishment of priceless heritage.
The protected boundary wall is in the way of the new Science Centre plan and that is why they want to demolish it.
In other European capital cities precious heritage parks like the Iveagh Gardens would be protected by the state.
Instead our Government has casually handed over a part of a heritage park to facilitate the interest of a small cohort.
This should be unthinkable
We call on the Government to recognise the value of the Iveagh Gardens in its current state and halt the proposed demolition of the boundary wall to facilitate the building of a Science Centre.
We call on our Governments Ministers to listen to the widespread public objections to the plan.
The Government should be uphold the rights and protections of our parks and not facilitate the diminishment of priceless heritage.
Why is this important?
An important part of protecting heritage is to recognise the value of a place - to the people who value it.
The value the Iveagh Gardens holds for the people who value it is being arrogantly dismissed by the NCSC plan.
We should not have to fight to preserve
our heritage and heritage parks against vested interests no matter how worthy those interests consider themselves.
The excuse of ‘opening up the park to improve accessibility’ is a nonsense and does not stand up to scrutiny in any argument for the conservation of enclosed parks.
The only reason for ‘opening up’ the park is to create accessibility to the Science Centre .
Our heritage parks have the right to exist free from the threat of interference from vested interests.
The Government should be upholding those protections and not facilitating exploitation of priceless heritage
Our public parks and Gardens must be free from interference and not handed over in whole or in part to facilitate building by vested interests.
Through the OPW the state undertook to protect, conserve, and restore’ Iveagh Gardens for the city of Dublin.
The state must honour this commitment and preserve the Iveagh Gardens intact.
Save the boundary wall.
Save The Iveagh Gardens.
The value the Iveagh Gardens holds for the people who value it is being arrogantly dismissed by the NCSC plan.
We should not have to fight to preserve
our heritage and heritage parks against vested interests no matter how worthy those interests consider themselves.
The excuse of ‘opening up the park to improve accessibility’ is a nonsense and does not stand up to scrutiny in any argument for the conservation of enclosed parks.
The only reason for ‘opening up’ the park is to create accessibility to the Science Centre .
Our heritage parks have the right to exist free from the threat of interference from vested interests.
The Government should be upholding those protections and not facilitating exploitation of priceless heritage
Our public parks and Gardens must be free from interference and not handed over in whole or in part to facilitate building by vested interests.
Through the OPW the state undertook to protect, conserve, and restore’ Iveagh Gardens for the city of Dublin.
The state must honour this commitment and preserve the Iveagh Gardens intact.
Save the boundary wall.
Save The Iveagh Gardens.
How it will be delivered
We plan to deliver the petition to the Dail and hand it in to the relevant Ministers.