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A proposal by Bono to create what has been described as Europe's most spectacular hotel has produced a clash between modernisers and traditionalists in the Irish capital.
The U2 singer has plans for a dramatic structure with a spaceship-shaped glass dome at the summit of an atrium extending from the basement to the rooftop. It has been described as a "skycatcher" and a "white hovering halo."
If approved by the authorities, the scheme would provide Dublin with an eye-catching new signature building. The design has been drawn up by the internationally-known London architect Lord Foster, who has said his aim was "to create grandeur".
The scheme involves a radical redesign and expansion of the Clarence Hotel, which is owned by Bono and U2's guitarist, the Edge. It would transform the discreet boutique hotel into an ultra-glamorous new Dublin landmark, on the Liffey River and adjoining the busy Temple Bar district.
The U2 connection has helped bring famous guests to the hotel: Bill Clinton has stayed there, and models Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss have been seen eating in its restaurant.
The Irish Republic's recent prosperity has seen the opening of dozens of new Dublin hotels in the past decade, but recently some of its largest hotels have closed because of redevelopment.
Bono's plans have aroused opposition since they involve taking over neighbouring Georgian structures and demolishing all but their facades.
Objections have been lodged by An Taisce, the Irish equivalent of the National Trust, and by the Irish Georgian Society, which argues the plans would dwarf neighbouring buildings and dominate the area.
The buildings involved have been described as "individually unremarkable but collectively superb in the essential Dublin, the frontispiece to the city and the nation".
The most outspoken criticism of the new scheme has come from a former chairman of An Taisce, Michael Smith, who has described it as "bastardisation" and "a Fosteresque 21st-century rock star bubble."
Lord Foster, by contrast, described the development as "an ambitious project, architecturally and structurally, with a confident yet sympathetic civic presence.
"It presents an exciting opportunity to regenerate Temple Bar's river frontage, while also creating a bold new addition to Dublin's skyline."
The new building will be no higher than the current Clarence, its developers proposing to maintain the facades of the neighbouring buildings and promising to reinstate their interiors as much as possible.
The developers have responded to 18 questions from the planning department of Dublin City Council on various aspects of the proposal, in particular in relation to the "skycatcher".
The quays where the Clarence stands have been designated a conservation area. Planning laws forbid demolition of protected structures except in exceptional circumstances.
An Taisce says the plan is "entirely inappropriate" for protected structures in what is regarded as an historic location, suggesting that it would be more suitable elsewhere. It declared: "It is the sort of scheme which could be developed with advantage on an unconstrained development site, particularly in the docklands.
" Independent
