The Irish Georgian Society (IGS) has blamed "lack of joined-up thinking" among different departments in Dublin City Council for the installation of what it calls a "mini bus depot" on Mountjoy Square.
Last month, 10 pay-and-display car parking places on the east side of the square - widely regarded as Dublin's finest in terms of its proportions - were replaced by four bays to accommodate double-deck buses from Summerhill garage nearby.
In a letter to city manager John Tierney, the IGS said it was concerned that this change of use - intensified by the illegal parking of private coaches - "will have a negative impact on the character of one of Dublin city's most important architectural ensembles".
The society expressed surprise at the council's decision "especially in light of its commitment to celebrate and encourage regeneration in Dublin's Georgian core", as illustrated by the recent publication The Georgian Squares of Dublin (2006).
Its chapter on Mountjoy Square, written by acting city architect John Heagney, noted that the square was laid out in 1791 and built between 1793 and 1818, and that the importance of the square as a piece of urban planning was appreciated from the start.
Given that Mountjoy Square is designated as a conservation area, the IGS said it was "surprised by the apparent lack of joined-up thinking" between Dublin City Council's architects, planning and conservation departments and its traffic and roads department.
"This inconsistency has led to the creation of what could reasonably be equated to a mini bus depot on Mountjoy Square, which cannot be considered conducive to enhancing the character of the area...but rather undermines it," the society said.
Mountjoy Square resident Ruadhán MacEoin said the bus parking had not been approved in advance by councillors. "It is an absolute disgrace. They [the city council traffic engineers] would never try to get away with it on Merrion Square."
However, he was informed by Tim O'Sullivan, executive manager of the council's roads and traffic department, that a section of Mountjoy Square East had been reserved for Dublin Bus parking following the issuing of an order from the Garda.
Mr O'Sullivan said Dublin Bus needed extra parking space in the city centre, and "this need can only increase with the purchase of additional buses for the fleet". It was likely that further private car parking spaces would be converted to bus use.
