Spire makes the GPO look like a cottage

WHAT is the point of having a Minister for the Arts, and bodies such as Dúchas, An Taisce, Aosdána, the RIAI, the Arts Council, the Georgian Society, Bord Fáilte, etc., when Dublin City Council, in one fell swoop, can destroy the scale of all the architecture on O’Connell Street and the unity of the street itself

The GPO now looks like a cottage. Does anyone care?

The brief for the competition which spawned this structure stated categorically: “The monument shall have a vertical emphasis, an elegant structure of the 21st century contemporary design which shall relate to the quality and scale of O’Connell Street as represented by the late 18th century and the early 20th century architecture.”

Having destroyed the scale of all the existing architecture on the street, the city council now has the cheek to boast it will make millions of euro from this act of vandalism. Who is responsible?

Noel Dempsey, when he was Minister of the Environment, allowed this out-of- scale structure to be erected.

He ignored the voice of the people who overwhelmingly objected in writing, while only a handful supported the project.

Finally, does the Taoiseach approve of what has been done to our capital’s main thoroughfare, which is in his own constituency?

Micheál Ó Nualláin,

Belgrade Square,

Monkstown,

Co Dublin.