The largest owner of commercial offices in Dublin, Iput plc, has lodged plans for a mural to be painted on the sidewall of a protected structure on Dublin's Pearse Street.
In the planning application, consultants for Iput have told Dublin City Council that the planned mural at the side of 46 Pearse Street – facing onto Magennis Place – "is to discourage unlawful graffiti and to make a positive contribution to the streetscape and surrounding vicinity".
A spokesman for Iput said on Friday that “the proposed mural is part of Iput’s focus on cultural initiatives and placemaking across its portfolio”.
He said: “Iput believes these investments create more attractive places and an enhanced experience for those who live and work in the neighbourhoods in which we are active.”
Public art
Iput – which owns and manages a property portfolio worth more than €3 billion – has told the council that it intends to commission artist Shane O’Driscoll for the mural on the building which was constructed around 1830.
O'Driscoll has produced similar public art at Caroline Street in Cork as part of a placemaking initiative with Brown Thomas and Cork City Council.
In a report lodged by Sheehan Planning with the Iput application, Conor Sheehan said the proposed mural would use an appropriate breathable paint suitable to the historic fabric of the building and will be a completely reversible intervention.
Protected structures
“This ensures that the proposed works will have no impact on the historic fabric of the protected structures,” he said.
He said the planned mural “does not affect the appearance of the structure to render it inconsistent with the character of the structure”.
Among other initiatives, Iput recently launched Living Canvas at Wilton Park and on Sir John Rogerson's Quay, to exhibit artwork in large-scale outdoor installations in the city centre.
A spokeswoman for Dublin City Council confirmed on Friday its environment and transportation department had spent €206,308 removing unauthorised graffiti around the city in 2020. The spend for 2021 is not available as yet.
A decision is due on the Iput application later this month.
