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.
To: Ministers Paschal Donohoe, Darragh O'Brien, Kevin Boxer Moran.
Save The Iveagh Gardens
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.