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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live line with Ciarán Cudahy on RTÉ Radio 1.
087484888 is the WhatsApp number if that's the way you want to get in touch. Lots of people getting in touch with messages of support for Jordan who is speaking on behalf of Cillian, his brother, who passed away and spoke so well. on his behalf and on behalf of his family. That story, that apology from CHI, had been covered on the News at One.
And I mentioned another story, actually, from the News at One, which is the redevelopment of the GPO. It's going to cost anywhere between 200 and 500 million quid, is what they're saying. And the people behind it were on with Rachel English, and they specifically said they welcome public feedback. So again, I mean, no better place to offer public feedback than on LiveLine.
And John is on the line. John, do you think this is a good idea?
Well, I think we're in the middle of a housing emergency. That's what people are marching about. That's what all the newspaper articles are saying. There is a chronic lack of housing.
And for the government to say, we're going to redevelop a perfectly functional building and spend between 200 and 500 million, or effectively half a billion pounds doing up a fine building when there is a housing project, a housing crisis on in the country. We have a shortage of tradespeople. If we do have tradespeople, they should not be doing up the GPO.
They should be helping out in our housing crisis. We also announced that Dublin City Council are to spend £600 million on their new head office. And I'm kind of saying they have a perfectly functional office on Wood Quay. We have a chronic housing crisis. People are seething. People are delaying their lifestyle. in terms of trying to start families, et cetera, et cetera.
And we're getting things that we don't need. We don't need a redevelopment of the GPO.
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Chapter 2: What are the current plans for redeveloping the GPO?
If it's falling down, repair it. Just let's do what we have. We don't need a stunning new head office for Dublin City Council. They only built their last one on Wood Quay 40 years ago.
Well, I think we're slightly off topic on the GPO, but just on the Wood Quay, what Dublin City Council say is that to bring those Wood Quay offices up to environmental standards, they say would be a waste of public money. It would cost as much as building a new place.
Chapter 3: How much will the GPO redevelopment cost?
Well, if we're talking about protecting the environment, you use an awful lot of carbons in actually refitting a building. So I just think we should, in the middle of a housing emergency, let's only make vital infrastructure and let's get our focus and our thoughts on housing. We declared a housing emergency back in 2014 when I think 4,000 people were homeless. It's now closer to 20,000.
It's 17,500. Can we not do both, John?
Can the government not pursue a more robust housing policy but still do other projects?
Listen, there's a war going on with Iran and we have a lack of supplies. There's a huge pinch point. Prices are rising. I can guarantee you, we can't even build a children's hospital.
Chapter 4: What public feedback has been received regarding the GPO redevelopment?
Let's not get distracted building something that no one has asked for. The civic offices are perfectly functional. We need housing. I moved into the city centre of Dublin about 30 years ago. There was no holiday homes, Airbnbs. Everywhere I go now, there's Airbnbs in the middle of a housing emergency.
We've done nothing to stop the explosive growth of Airbnbs, although we've declared a housing emergency. Every time I go for a cycle, Thomas Street, you name it, Dorset Street, dereliction everywhere. For the last 40 years, we've had pretend legislation to get rid of derelict buildings. They're everywhere, OK? That's the focus. We obviously can't do two things at the same time.
We have failed on housing, OK? So why would you get distracted in building luxury new offices for Dublin City Council when they were perfectly functional?
Why would you update the GPO when it was perfectly functional? But realistically, if you didn't do that, how much additional housing stock are you going to... going to bring online by not redeveloping the GPO?
Well, let's say these two projects are going to cost, if you add up the Dublin City Council head office, £600,000 and the GPO, close to half a billion. So that's a billion pounds. We have tradespeople, OK, with a shortage of tradespeople. Let's think about trying to train up tradespeople.
Let's try to think about an imaginative way we can use a billion pounds to see if we can get those buildings that are...
But the government has loads of money. They don't, like as in whatever the trades people, that's a legitimate point. But I mean, the government has 16 odd billion sitting in rainy day funds. So it's not a question of if we add this billion, we're spending a billion on the GPO and Dublin City Council offices that we could be spending on houses.
You could take another billion out of the rainy day fund.
Well, hold on. We're going to need, there's going to be another COVID. There's going to be some sort of economic crash fairly soon. So this business of, oh, well, we have the money, let's spend it. We don't need... It is a housing crisis. That's what we have. No one is marching on the door, please do up the GPO. No one is marching saying, give the Dublin City Council guys new head office.
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Chapter 5: Why do some believe the GPO redevelopment is unnecessary?
Again, and I nearly got a heart attack when I heard that the OPW, who can't build a bike shed for less than half a million pounds, or can't build a security hut for less than half a million pounds, are in charge of this project. So don't give me all that wealth. I love what they say it's going to cost. Roughly between 200 million and 500 million.
But if the Straits of Hermosa still blocks, it'll probably go to 2 million. Or 2 billion. Like, this is nuts. Get the children's hospital built, and if you have excess capacity for that... Get the people in and say, how can we get the thousands of disused buildings in our city centre, the derelict ones, back into use? The derelict sites legislation is pure useless.
There's a terrace of houses not too far from where I live. I've been derelict under fine houses for 25 years. Dublin City Council have come back to me and said, the derelict sites means we just have to ask them to paint it. And the bricked up, or the boarded up windows, they just have to paint those and pretend windows. So I think we have proven that we can't do two things.
We can't build housing and do the hospital, or we can't build the GPO.
Unsurprisingly, John, other people are getting in touch as well. So 087 484 888, the WhatsApp number, and Geroad is on the line. Geroad, do you think that the state should be spending this money to redevelop the GPO site?
No, I don't. And the reason why I don't is because of the significance of what the GPO is. The GPO is a central building in Dublin where the foundation of this state began with the 1916 Rising. It's an historical monument and it should be treated as such. It's also, I mean, many historians trace the beginning of the decline of the British Empire to the 1916 Rising.
And all we can think of doing is another commercial development, wasting more money. This building, and in any other country in the world, would be an historical monument. And, you know, I mean, I was just checking here before I came on, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Ireland only has three. Well, one in the north, the Causeway, Skellig Michael, and Newgrange.
There are no historical World Heritage Sites that the Irish government has applied for. And here we have the GPO, which has played a central role in the foundation of this state. And these people could think of nothing better to do than turn it into... offices for Dublin City Council. And before that, there was talk of turning it into yet another shopping centre.
They have absolutely no imagination.
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Chapter 6: What are the arguments against spending on the GPO during a housing crisis?
I mean, I was reminded of the poem that Luke Kelly made famous for what died the sons of Roshan. And he asks in it, was it for the faithless man who for mark and dollar betrayed her to the highest bidder? And it's this all we're about.
Let me bring in... Gerard, stay on the line and join you too.
There is an additional thing. They wanted to develop the GPO. They also want to tear down what's left of Moor Street, which also played a significant part in the rising, and it's also where Patrick Pearce surrendered. And that is for a shopping centre. These people have no imagination and no respect for the history of the country. Anywhere else they would be developing that into an historic...
cultural centre, proper cultural centre. You know, because people, I mean, I've lived abroad most of my life and I've lots of friends who come here and I take them to, you know, Camain and jail and places like that. And they're, you know, they look at this and kind of go, well, right, is this all you've got?
You mentioned the surrender. I think the white handkerchief that was waived by way of surrender at the back of Moore Street is going to be auctioned by Fonzie Mealy in Castle Comer in Kilkenny. in the not-too-distant future and Fianna Fáil or some Fianna Fáil backbenchers are angling for the government to actually buy that at the auction. So I wonder if something will come of that.
But do you know who it is? It's Cahill Crow and actually his namesake, Tom Crow, is on the line as well. No relation, as far as I understand, Tom. But have you a view on the redevelopment of the GPO?
They're all being too high-minded here on... O'Connell Street is on life support. It's close to dead as a street. People go to Christchurch naturally. It's on a tourist trail. People don't want to see the GPO. It's interesting, but it could well take additional activities and commercial development and still preserve the historic part of it. You can have a post office if you like.
It's a big complex.
So you think there's plenty of room to pursue this redevelopment and preserve what needs to be preserved?
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Chapter 7: How do historical perspectives influence views on the GPO redevelopment?
And thinking on this, because we all have our own little views on it. And, you know, a consultation, a public consultation from my experience of dealing with Fingal, for instance, that's where I live, is, you go to a consultation. All you do get is a presentation and they just do what they like anyway. So that's what things like Kevin's Council do.
Well, listen, they asked for a public consultation in the news at one and they didn't have to wait long. About five minutes later, they've had a public consultation on Lifeline. So, no, listen, appreciate you getting in touch. Thanks a million. 087 484 888. Back in a moment.