This is a huge loss for dance and electronic music in Dublin.
An Bord Pleanála over-ruled the city council in Dublin on Thursday afternoon, resulting in plans for the demolition of Dublin 8’s Tivoli Theatre and pop-up nightclub District 8.
Developer and owner Anthony Byrne got the go-ahead for the demolition of the venue to make way for an apart-hotel.
However, the independent body has ordered that the well-known street art haven is preserved photographically prior to demolition, otherwise known as the ‘graffiti condition.’
The board has ordered that Byrne must preserve the graffiti contained within the site by photographic record which, it says, should be undertaken by a professional photographer. This order is one of the 16 conditions agreed by the board.
The planning go-ahead will mean the destruction of the walls where the graffiti is currently present at the site
The theatre in Dublin’s Liberties area is being replaced by a five-storey, 289-bed ‘aparthotel’. Restaurant units, a gymnasium, bike rental shop and a cultural theatre and performance arts venue on Francis Street have also been approved by An Bord Pleanála.
The plans following demolition involve a new civic square to be known as “Tivoli Square”, named after the theatre, which will be rebuilt as a “modern performance and arts facility.”
It’s understood that these outdoor performance areas will be similar to those seen currently in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar.
Byrne’s appeal for demolition also argued that the current building being used is in quite poor condition and does not contribute significantly to the quality of the street.
See the application in full here.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
