Green light for former Screen Cinema project

By Gordon Deegan

The way is now clear for the Marlet Property Group to go ahead to demolish the nine-storey College House on College Green in Dublin and replace it with a 10 storey building.

Bord Pleanála has approved the development plans on the site of the old Screen Cinema site.

The plan includes a 520- seat venue which Paddy McKillen Jnr’s Press Up group has told the city council it plans to operate. It is in advanced talks with Marlet Group subsidiary Balark.

Last December, consultants for receivers, Tom O’Brien and Simon Coyle, who are leading the redevelopment of the Apollo House site and Hawkins House with the OPW put the Balark plan on hold when they appealed to Bord Pleanála. Businessman David Anderson of D’Olier Chambers also appealed the decision.

The appeals board has now said the plan will “integrate satisfactorily” with the proposed redevelopment of adjoining sites at Hawkins House and Apollo House.

The plan “would integrate satisfactorily with the established character of the sensitive historic city centre, including views and prospects towards the site along the River Liffey and the grounds of Trinity College”, said Bord Pleanála.

The developers are to pay €1m contribution towards public infrastructure and €588,582 towards the Luas Cross City Scheme.

In its appeal, planning consultants for the Apollo receivers, Brady Shipman Martin said it welcomed the idea to develop the Screen Cinema site, but it fell short of the objectives of the council’s local area plan and would affect the Apollo House and Hawkins House schemes.

The consultants for the receivers said material changes were required.