Newcomen Bank 16 Castle Street Part 8 Public Notification

Overview

Dublin City Council wishes to give notice that it has lodged a Planning Application under Part 8 of the Local Government Planning and Development Regulations 2001 for the development on 16 Castle Street, the former Newcomen Bank (Protected Structure).

Newcomen Bank is one of the finest Georgian townhouses in Dublin, a city that contains hundreds of magnificent houses constructed during the second half of the eighteenth century.

Only surpassed in scale by the great city mansions such as Leinster House, Powerscourt House and Charlemont House, Newcomen is their equal in architectural finesse.  Extended twice, Newcomen now boasts not less than three principal facades on Castle Street, Cork Hill and Lord Edward Street.  The only Dublin townhouse to be entirely faced in Portland stone, it contains one of the finest hanging stone staircases, sometimes referred to as a ‘cantilevered stairs’.  Designed by Thomas Ivory, an architect of great note who also designed the former Blue Coats School, or Law Society, it contains superb Neo-Classical interiors and a number of elliptical shaped rooms, one of which has a painted ceiling. This room is thought to have inspired the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, which was designed by James Hoban, who was an architectural student and an assistant to Thomas Ivory. 

It is a protected structure (RPS 2050), in the ownership of Dublin City Council and the building most recently functioned as the Dublin City Rates Office, until it closed in 2018.  In 2020 a multidisciplinary design team, led by Howley Hayes Cooney Architecture, was appointed by Dublin City Council to conserve and repurpose the building to become a suite of civic rooms, for cultural, commercial, ceremonial and social uses, both by the council and the public.  This team includes experienced conservation engineers, quantity surveyors and experts in fire safety and accessibility design.  The stage 1, feasibility design process was completed in March 2022, and presented to Dublin City Council and the Newcomen Steering group, prior to commencement of the stage 2a planning documentation process.

The development will consist of –

(A) Refurbishment of Newcomen Bank (formerly the Rates Office) which is a Protected Structure (Ref. No. 2050), and part change of use to provide multi-purpose spaces, visitor and staff facilities, and offices for Dublin City Council and future tenants. Works will include conservation and repair of existing historic fabric, and general upgrades to meet fire safety and accessibility requirements.

(B) Demolition of the existing twentieth century four storey lift and stair structure to the west façade of Newcomen Bank.

(C) Construction of a new five storey lift and stair structure to the west façade of Newcomen Bank, which will provide access to the basement.

(D) Installation of new stone steps with ramped access to the Castle Street entrance for universal access and extension of the pedestrian paving, with relocation of one accessible car parking space.

(E) Basement areas at Castle Street to be opened up and new cast iron pavement lights with glazed inserts added to the area.

Why your views matter

If you have any comments please provide them here

What happens next

Please provide your views or comments on the Newcomen Bank Part 8 submission here. Your comments will be reviewed following the closing deadline of the 18th April next.