Dun Laoghaire Thread. No traffic, commuting, transport chat.

Got a nice shot of the Casement statue in the moonlight last week.

A boat winch. You’ll see them by most slips.

Here are the ones at Bullach and Colimore

Might be better as apartments - who needs a 6 floor office HQ these days with most places offering some form of working from home?

A flight hazard for birds? They really do pull anything out the hat when it comes to objections. I didn't realise birds were driven to extinction by apartment blocks in every other city around the world.

While I don't object to the idea of student accommodation on the Bakers Corner site or a building of the same size there, I don't think demolishing the actual pub building itself should be carried out. You could curtail some of the structure and build around it so that the corner remains recognizable. The existing structure is one of very few decent looking buildings in a 200 meter radius (as a rule of thumb). I say that because the bulk of the residential stock within this radius are former council houses with the same dreary crude grey pebble-dash facade.

The proposed complex is the same boxy, clinical and featureless affair as is the case with many of the other unimaginative cookie-cutter apartments that have been built or are under construction. Not enough effort is being made in giving modern builds redeeming elegant features. In other words, I would much rather be looking at a facsimile of an old and elegant design than a modern take on brutalist architecture.

Case in point is the previous planning application on the land adjacent to The Golden Ball Pub in Kilternan where it was going to recreate the look of a timeless London Mayfair style street scape:

It was subsequently refused permision because it was too fusy among other begrudgery driven motives. Instead, we have allowed more mediocre buildings to be built in the same location (see it in Street View):

184 Enniskerry Rd

Back to the Bakers Corner site. Now, by and large, the road infrastructure in the vicinity is somewhat decent where minor tweaks could be made to optimise the flow of traffic.

I still think much of the oposition to the Bakers Corner is steeped in zealotry where they don't want anything built next to them at all. I just think the architecture of new builds could do with being far more graceful.

It used to be a nice local. But since the most recent change of ownership it's a kip pretty much.

I agree. There is a new public bar in the plan.

Is the new cinema along with the new gym being built in Stillorgan for the apartment residents only?

I've worked on a few D4 luxury schemes with very nice cinema rooms in them. You can usually book them through the concierge for a private party or a business meeting that requires a screening. They are basically just networked screens as opposed to digital projection, but they seat about 30 and are a nice luxury. The place Rod Stewart has just bought his new penthouse near Lansdowne Road has one.

Who knows. My brother in law had something similar in Singapore and it was very well frequented, but then they are big drinkers!

I see DLR has recommended to An BP to refuse the Bakers Corner plans on the basis of bulk, mass, out of character, effect on adjoining properties etc. Will be interesting to see what way it goes, as I can certainly think of other schemes in the DLR area, especially near the Stillorgan Road that have a similar presence.

Re. Bakers corner, yes it will be very interesting to see ABP's approach. I think that one of the main planning arguments for mass and bulk on the Stillorgan Rd. was that the road itself, is a main public transport route. Hence good access to same.

Yes.

Any idea when the Christmas lights are going up/on? Was on Georges st. on Sunday evening, it looked a bit grim without the lights!

Could do with a bit of cheer!

That is comically bad looking! It doesn't look like the site is so constrained that they couldn't have planned for something around the house but not incorporating it directly. I'm not suggesting that they copy VHI directly but their work on Abbey St is very imaginative: https://goo.gl/maps/H5NAvB9qNXLohAXx7