Plans to demolish the landmark Quinn’s Pub in Drumcondra, popular with GAA fans heading to Croke Park, to make way for a five-storey build-to-rent apartment scheme are facing opposition from residents in the area.
Last month, Discipulo Developments Ltd lodged plans to construct a five-storey over partial basement mixed-use development on the site.
The application came one year after fund provider BlackBee Investments purchased the pub. The pub was previously owned by businessman Seán Quinn but had more recently been run on behalf of the liquidators of the collapsed Anglo Irish Bank.
Along with the 50 build-to-rent apartments comprised of 11 studio units, 33 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units, the proposal includes plans for three ground-floor commercial units, including a bookmakers.
However, in an objection to the plan, the Iona and District Residents’ Association (IDRA) has told the council that Quinn’s pub has been a focus and landmark in Drumcondra for 150 years for locals and GAA fans through its proximity to Croke Park.
The residents’ association states: “Several different communities have an attachment to this building because it is an essential reference point and meeting place.”
The residents’ group argues that a comprehensive analysis of the architectural, cultural and social conservation significance strongly indicates that the demolition of Quinn’s public house “would be detrimental to Drumcondra and the wider area”.
The IDRA argues that “the proposed design of the building is out of character with the area and doesn’t reflect its immediate context”.
No urban presence
Local resident, Alfonso Bonilla has claimed that should the council approve the plan, the town centre of Drumcondra will become another faceless junction along the N1 with no urban presence.
Another local resident, Alison Hay has told the council that the proposed development “is overbearing, out of scale and out of character compared with existing development in the vicinity”.
Local Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan has told the council in her submission that there is an over-concentration of build-to-rent accommodation in Dublin city centre.
A statement lodged with the application states that the proposal has been designed to respond to and complement the built context of the immediate area. A decision is due on the application next month.
