The Department of Arts raised serious concerns with the Office of Public Works (OPW) about plans for a Dublin project billed as one of the most significant urban renewal initiatives in the State.
The concerns were voiced in connection with the OPW's plans for a multi-million-euro residential and commercial development on a site it co-owns with Eircom next to the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, Dublin.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act also show that the OPW and Eircom disputed the ownership of the site at St John's Road, which is opposite Heuston Station, before agreeing the joint development plan.
While the OPW and Eircom could not agree on a boundary between their interests in the site, they resolved the issue by devising a formula to determine a boundary based on the development value of the site.
Announcing the plans in June, the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Mr Tom Parlon, said the development had a potential value of €500 million.
However, that valuation includes elements of the development on a site adjacent to St John's Road at Military Road, which is fully owned by the State.
The proposed development spans 14.3 acres over the two sites. If approved, it will include 650 apartments and 750,000 sq ft of office space capable of accommodating 5,000 workers.
Records released by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism show that it raised "serious misgivings" about the scale of the development when it was first informed in November 2001 about the preliminary plans for the project.
Its cultural institutions division also asked whether the OPW was empowered to engage in a joint commercial development.
The division was also concerned about the potential impact of the plans on the views into and from the landmark Royal Hospital building, which houses the museum.
In a letter to the OPW last April, the secretary-general of the Department of Arts, Mr Philip Furlong, pointed to the building's "significance as a part of our built heritage" when highlighting such concerns.
"Great care needs to be exercised to ensure that any development in the vicinity of the Royal Hospital does not damage the integrity of the total site from all perspectives," he said.
However, the OPW told the Department that the project would have a "minimal effect" on the views from the Royal Hospital.
It cited a report by a historic buildings consultant, Mr David Slattery, which said the level of intrusion on the vista was minimal.
While Mr Furlong later raised concerns about the potential impact of a planned 15-storey tower in the OPW/Eircom development, the OPW told him that it would not be seeking planning permission for that aspect of the development.
Mr Furlong welcomed the availability of cultural space in the development, but said its exploitation could not be a departmental priority "given the severe resource constraint on our capacity to deliver projects to which we are already committed".
The cultural institutions division of the Department of Arts initially said the development was planned on what was "potentially one of the most significant [archaeological sites] in Ireland".
However, records from later meetings show that the "archaeological issues in relation to the site may not be as significant as originally thought".
