Leinster House "temporary car park" here to stay

[ryano]

The Irish Times is reporting that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has agreed that the "temporary car park" which currently covers the site of Leinster Lawn at the Merrion Street side of Leinster House will remain in place until 2010 at the earliest:

The politicians who run the Dáil complex have decided to defy the planning laws and retain a temporary car park on Leinster Lawn for the foreseeable future, writes Stephen Collins, Political Correspondent.

In the meantime they intend to explore the possibility of building a two-storey, underground car park which could also be put to commercial use.

The Oireachtas Commission decided to retain the temporary car park, which was put down on Leinster Lawn in the late 1990s to enable construction of new office accommodation, until the underground car park can be built. That will not happen for at least four years.

The decision was taken by the commission even though it noted that "the current temporary car park was in contravention of the Part IX planning process which required the lawn to be reinstated following completion of the Leinster House 2000 works".

Full story

John Gormley TD was told by the Minister for Finance in a parliamentary question in April 2005 that works to reinstate the lawn would be carried out during that year's summer recess.

[Maximus]

What a non story, you'd never guess it was summer time.

[David Cochrane]

What a non story, you'd never guess it was summer time.

Of course it's a story. Get a grip, you'd be whinging if it was FG in gov!

[Maximus]

What a non story, you'd never guess it was summer time.

Of course it's a story. Get a grip, you'd be whinging if it was FG in gov!

What next - Stephen Colins reporting on a new paint job for the LH 2000 wing, c'mon this is just drivel... I expect more for my €1.60, there has to be some real news he can cover

[ryano]

In fairness when this decision was made there were two non-FF members present, Paul McGrath TD (FG) and Senator Joe O'Toole (Ind). The remaining four members present were all Fianna Fáil.

The reason this is a story is that the Government has been swearing blind at all stages that the removal of Leinster Lawn was only temporary, and has been coming up at regular intervals with new reasons why the reinstatement of the lawn must be put off. The most recent was the refurbishment of Kildare House, a building which is not connected to the Leinster House complex.

Incidentally this decision was taken at the May meeting of the Commission, but is only coming to light now. The full minute of the decision can be read here.

[ryano]

What next - Stephen Colins reporting on a new paint job for the LH 2000 wing, c'mon this is just drivel... I expect more for my €1.60, there has to be some real news he can cover

You don't require planning permission for a paint job.

[Maximus]

Government has been swearing blind at all stages that the removal of Leinster Lawn was only temporary

It is only temporary... The OPW are activally working on a proposal to develop a 2 story underground car park, according to the report they are due to minutes they are due to report back in Sept / Oct 06, after which construction can start.

[Jippo]

What next - Stephen Colins reporting on a new paint job for the LH 2000 wing, c'mon this is just drivel... I expect more for my €1.60, there has to be some real news he can cover

You don't require planning permission for a paint job.

Oh yeah:

[size=7]Randy Leprechaun is doing his bit for Kerry tourism [/size]
I WAS absolutely astonished to discover that the Randy Leprechaun pub in Annascaul has been ordered to remove three leprechaun murals from its walls by Kerry County Council.

I read in The Kingdom that the Randy Leprechaun has also been told to remove its flourescent green paintwork and to replace it with more neutral tones.

...

Kerry County Council is doing local tourism a disservice in its refusal to grant permission for the retention of the murals and signs depicting the leprechaun in a relaxed mood, smoking his pipe and taking a rest

...

The council should be encouraged to immediately reverse the decision in respect of the leprechaun murals and green paintwork.

...

[ryano]

It is only temporary... The OPW are activally working on a proposal to develop a 2 story underground car park, according to the report they are due to minutes they are due to report back in Sept / Oct 06, after which construction can start.

The minutes say that construction is unlikely to commence for another two years, and may take up to two years to complete. So 2010 is the earliest date for reinstatement of the lawn, by which time the "temporary" car park will have been in place for well over a decade.

[ryano]

I read in The Kingdom that the Randy Leprechaun has also been told to remove its flourescent green paintwork and to replace it with more neutral tones.

Well, I assumed he's talking about an internal paint job as I don't think Leinster House 2000 has many external surfaces which could take flourescent green paint or Leprechaun murals. But I wouldn't put it past them!