Dublin Corporation's acceptance of conflicting projects for a historically important city-centre site close to College Green and alongside Trinity College has been described in the High Court as "disgraceful".
Mr Colm Mac Eochaidh, counsel for an incorporated group of environmentalists, Lancefort Ltd, made the statement at a New Year's Eve sitting of the court, when he obtained an order banning further work on a £30 million development of the site.
He told Mr Justice O'Higgins that nobody knows what is to be built on the triangular site bounded by Westmoreland Street, Fleet Street and College Street, and including important historic buildings: the former Scottish Widows insurance office, the onetime headquarters of the Provincial Bank and the 1930s neoclassical Pearl Assurance building.
Mr Mac Eochaidh said ala had granted planning permission had been granted in May 1993 for a major office scheme on the site, and this permission, which entailed demolition and facade retention, had never been taken up and was due to expire next June.
A second planning permission had been granted in December 1996 for a mixed Hilton hotel and office development, but an application by Lancefort, seeking to quash the board's decision on the grounds that no environmental impact assessment had been carried out, was before the High Court and the reserved judgment of Mrs Justice McGuinness was expected in the new law term.
He said the proceedings had had a tortuous passage through the High Court in 1997 and had been before the Supreme Court twice.
Mr Mac Eochaidh said the site was owned by Allied Irish Banks Ltd, and the proposed developments were planned by Treasury Holdings. His clients, Lancefort Ltd, was a company set up by prominent conservationists to oppose what they regarded as damaging developments.
On December 9th AIB had served a notice of commencement for the hotel scheme on Dublin Corporation, as required under the Building Control Act, 1990. A notice relating to the office scheme had been served on December 16th. These had to indicate what the proposed developments were and that work would begin within seven days after and before 21 days of the date of service of the notices of commencement.
Mr Mac Eochaidh said the period of time relating to the hotel scheme had expired on December 30th and work had begun with the erection of a hoarding around the site, although nobody knew whether the office scheme or the hotel scheme was being developed.
He said Lancefort was objecting to any development proceeding on foot of either of the planning permissions, to which a list of detailed conditions attached.
His client contended that, through the erection of the hoarding, work had started on the site in breach of the special conditions applying to the planning permissions, whereby the developers had firstly to submit to and secondly to obtain from Dublin Corporation its agreement to revised development plans to meet the special conditions. The corporation's agreement had not been given.
Mr Justice O'Higgins ordered the immedate cessation of all works on the site until the matter is further considered by the High Court next Tuesday. Notice of the order was to be served on Treasury Holdings, AIB and P.J. Wall and Co, builders.