An Taisce has strongly criticised plans by Kells Town Council to demolish a number of 18th century protected buildings as part of the refurbishment and extension of the town hall. The heritage body says the plans may even contravene the council's development plan.
An Taisce is particularly concerned because there is no avenue of appeal to An Bord Pleanála, since the application is from a local authority and relates to its own premises.
Kells Town Council has lodged a planning application to demolish "buildings comprising part of a protected structure, refurbishment and extension of town hall with associated works".
In a submission to the council, whose planners are considering the application, the chairman of An Taisce in Meath, Mr Ed Wheeler, said there was no objection in principle to the development, but he was "deeply concerned by the local authority's intention to demolish a number of 18th century buildings that form part of the protected structures on the site".
The buildings at the centre of the debate are inside an archway leading to the rear of the town hall, and originally formed part of a complex owned by the Dempsey family.
In 1838 Catherine Dempsey established a trust "for the education and clothing of poor children of the town and parish of Kells".
The present town hall was designed for the National Bank in 1852. If the council's proposals are approved, a number of garden plots at the back of the building will be turned into car parks.
Mr Wheeler said the possibility of integrating the protected buildings within the scheme was not properly examined, "and we are alarmed to find that the buildings are dismissed on extremely tenuous grounds in a seriously flawed architectural assessment". He said there was no sign that the architectural heritage protection guidelines for planning authorities, drawn up in 2001, had been consulted.
The council says its policy is "to preserve protected buildings and items of architectural, artistic and historical interest".
However, An Taisce believes that "the complete failure to consider a sympathetic renovation and reuse would constitute a contravention of the development plan". The body has written to local newspapers urging people to call on the council to save the buildings. The closing date for submissions is Wednesday.