€100m Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre revamp slammed as ‘bland & inappropriate’

Local councillors and the public have express their dismay over plans for a “bland and inappropriate” revamp of the iconic St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

In recent days, Dublin City Council granted permission for the €100million redevelopment of the shopping centre. The plan was put forward by Davy entity, DTDL Ltd, which acquired the parts of the property it did not already own in 2019.

In the 51-page report approving the plans, the council described the shopping centre as “outdated”. Proposed changes includes increasing its height to six stories, a facade facelift, replacing of glass and ornate ironwork, and a new cinema and gallery space.

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However, Dublin councillors and the public have expressed their disappointment in the proposal. Dublin City Independent Cllr Mannix Flynn agreed that the shopping centre is currently “very outdated” but said that there was a great opportunity for its revamp.

He told Dublin Live: “It’s not a protected structure and it is a favourite of Dublin people, most of the space that’s actually in it is in the sky all the small higgedly-piggledy shops. The big units like Dunnes Stores are having problems because of the amount of goods coming in.

“In my opinion, while the shopping centre delivered to people coming in it never delivered locally. It brought massive traffic into the city through its carpark.

“The city needs accommodation. I think the design itself is inappropriate, there’s a lot of outcry about it and it’s a residential area within it.

“So again, one needs to be awake and aware what the situation is and you don’t want to set a precedent in the city. It isn’t really a big public offering.”

Cllr Flynn added that at the moment the building, which opened in 1988, is “rotten” and that its underbelly is in “an awful state”. “It constantly suffers from rat and vermin infestation, it sits in the middle of a vibrant part of the city.

“We want something that is really good and futuristic and has great architecture. There’s hundreds of families coming out from the Gaiety Theatre this week for the panto and there’s no offering for them in the area, they are walking by buildings and windows which are closed.

“It’s a nice place to go around [St Stephen’s Green Shopping centre], I like going around the shopping centre and I like the buzz. But the size of the street and what they are proposing is not good enough.

“We want a change but we are opposed to the height of the buildings and the general office development – there’s going to be a massive office development on the KPMG site at the end of Harcourt Street.

“While we welcome a development this particular idea and development don’t warrant much. It’s not outstanding architecture and it doesn’t look really good when you compare it to St Stephen’s Green shopping centre which is an iconic place

“I cannot understand why Dublin City Council gave it the go ahead because it doesn’t deliver. What they’ve offered is bland, development nonsense,” added Cllr Flynn.

Meanwhile, a petition has been set up by locals in opposition of the new redevelopment. A message on the page reads: “St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, a beloved landmark in Dublin, Ireland, is at risk of losing its unique character due to proposed minimalistic redevelopment plans.

“This shopping centre is more than just a commercial hub; it represents the architectural heritage and cultural history of Dublin. The proposed changes threaten to strip away its distinctive charm and replace it with soulless modernity.

“We urge the relevant authorities to recognize the historical significance of St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre by listing it as a protected structure under Section 51 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Government Publications Office).”

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