Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre redevelopment approved by Dublin City Council

JOE

By Fiona Frawley.

Dublin City Council has granted planning permission for a €100m revamp of Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

The proposed redevelopment would see the shopping centre’s landmark exterior completely transformed.

DCC has granted planning permission to stockbroker and wealth manager Davy, who had been expected to redevelop the centre after paying a reported €175 million for it on behalf of clients in 2019.

An artist’s impression of the proposed development shows a complete transformation of the shopping centre’s exterior. Its dome roof, arched windows and flower baskets would be replaced with what I think we can all agree is one of the most generic-looking office fronts imaginable.

An artist’s impression of the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre redevelopment. Image via breakingnews.ie

Cultural spaces

The Council granted planning permission after the applicants reduced the scale and massing of the scheme, according to RTÉ News.

The revised plan would see the originally proposed first-floor office plan replaced with additional retail space, hospitality and cultural facilities. Davy have also proposed a basement two-screen cinema with space for 180 people, an art exhibition space on the first floor and a “town hall” facility.

In a report in September of this year, property Consultants Bannon told the council that the redevelopment will be a positive for the area and will improve the offering in terms of retail, food and beverage while addressing the current deficit of larger retail units in the centre.

The report states that the upper floors of the shopping centre have failed to attract sustainable retail operators for over 30 years and “are now either vacant or occupied by retailers on life support with unviable businesses”.

Image via Getty.

‘Outdated’

Speaking to Newstalk, Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn said that while the current shopping centre is outdated, the council’s proposals are not helpful.

“The moment this building was put up, it was outdated,” he said.

“It’s a pretty delipidated site, but this (proposal) isn’t an overall massive development where the whole construction is being taken down.

“This is an ‘add on, add on, put a here, add a bit there’… what they’re actually doing is taking bits here, bits there, instead of reconstructing the whole site.

“The thinking of the City Council is askew.”

St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre as we know it was unveiled in 1987, with a target demographic of “young, middle class (women) with a great deal of spending power“.

The centre was opened by London-based company Power Securities, who wished to ‘reflect the character of the green’ with its design.

(First published on Lovin’ Dublin).