Dublin city’s historic footpaths are being systematically destroyed through the replacement of antique flagstones with cheap, imported Chinese granite due to strict Department of Finance procurement rules, the heritage group An Taisce has claimed.
Leinster Granite, the indigenously produced traditional yellow stone, has been rejected in favour of cheaper material from overseas.
Dublin City Council is now preparing policy to correct the practice and estimates that as much as one-fifth of the historic footpath surfacing is being lost through remedial and other works.
An Taisce has branded the money-saving exercise an “embarrassment” for a European capital famed for its character.
Under procurement rules, city administrators are obliged to seek out the “most economically advantageous tender” and officials say traditional Irish granite has only recently become available at competitive prices.
An Taisce, however, has pointed out that “epidemic levels” of the cheaper Chinese white stone has been used to patch up sections of the city’s footpaths since 2007.
In its 2009 report, Historic Street Surfaces in Dublin: Conservation Study and Guidance Manual, the council said imported stone was often used due to short supply of indigenous alternatives, but said "the colour of this stone is never an adequate match for the traditional material. "To achieve a high-quality result, matching Wicklow or Dublin granite should also be used for repairing historic street surfaces."
In a letter to the council, Kevin Duff of An Taisce noted that stretches of pavement that characterise Georgian Dublin’s streetscape were being “littered” with inappropriate white stone.
“Nothing . . . has stemmed the ongoing whittling away and degrading of the city’s irreplaceable stock of historic granite paving since 2007,” he wrote.
“The situation is downright embarrassing for a European capital renowned for and trading on its historic environment.”
