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The proposed DCC Variation No.8 is to be welcomed. Iveagh Gardens is a unique and architecturally significant housing development built between 1926-36 by the Iveagh Trust as a philanthropic social housing initiative. The quality of materials used in construction is extremely high, with two different types of brick, a light red for the first two phases and a darker red brick for the final three phases, Welsh rustic green roofing slates, Wicklow granite, timber sash windows, copper flashing and iron railings. The development of 136 houses and one shop with living accommodation above was designed by O’Callaghan and Webb and built by H & J Martin and included plenty of green space which even 100 years ago was considered essential for well-being, both physical and psychological.

Each house has front and back gardens and there are a three long rectangular and four triangular green spaces throughout this small development. There were green verges along all the footpaths which also contributed to the ‘garden suburb’ design, popular at the time. As time has passed and car ownership has become the norm many of these verges (but not all) have been concreted over to form entries to driveways. Trees were planted in the 1930s and most still stand firm today. Some trees that needed to be felled over the years have been replaced and there are now over 60 mature trees in the estate. These trees provide protection from climate change effects and help to counteract air pollution, important in a neighbourhood so close to the city centre and adjacent to a very busy main arterial road to and from the city. The Iveagh Gardens Garden Guild which was founded in 1940 has worked with the community and DCC (responsible for maintaining the roads, footpaths and green spaces within the estate) over the last 5 years to support biodiversity projects reflecting a commitment to sustainability, the environment, and the visual aesthetic of the area.

The estate's overall architectural quality and landscaping is a significant contributory factor to the high level of community integration and neighbourliness that has been an ongoing feature of life here since the first tenants moved in almost one hundred years ago.

The outward appearance and the construction materials used to build the houses, and the green spaces and overall design have remained relatively unchanged throughout the last century. When the Iveagh Trust owned and managed the development they were keen to maintain the architectural integrity of the estate, and repairs and maintenance to interiors and exteriors were carried out very regularly. When the sale of the houses to sitting tenants and other private owners commenced in the early 1970s changes began to occur, most notably to windows and front doors. Most of these houses have large multi-paned windows, with a number of rooms in some houses having two windows. The Iveagh Trust believed that light and fresh air were extremely important to ward off illness and promote good health. The original timber sash windows and doors were generally replaced with plastic or aluminium products, often with a completely different appearance to the originals. Many of these were double glazed and carried out to prevent heat loss and provide some insulation. In recent years some sympathetic replacements have been noted but there are also some original windows still intact proving that with care timber windows are a viable sustainable alternative to unsympathetic (or even sympathetic) replacement. Some original front doors also remain, many of them in excellent condition.

One significant advantage of ACA designation is that financial assistance will be available to residents to maintain, repair and/or renew their homes while still preserving the fabric and architectural quality of the estate. Today there are many alternative ways of improving insulation in older houses that mean original features can be saved and/or sympathetic restoration can take place. The ACA designation means that owners may be able to maintain their houses using optimal materials and in a sustainable way for other costly repairs such as roofing, cast iron guttering and downpipes and railings.

If Iveagh Gardens becomes an ACA, this will guarantee that unsympathetic or destructive changes to the area's architectural integrity in the future will not be facilitated and the potential for less sympathetic changes will be reduced or obviated particularly if the heritage and community value of this historic development is not understood.

From the late 1920s through to the 1940s Dublin Corporation built many social housing developments as did other philanthropic and semi-philanthropic bodies and some have survived relatively intact today, but Iveagh Gardens, Crumlin stands out for its unique design, its overall attractiveness and the quality of its construction. It truly deserves an ACA designation.

The proposed ACA designation also includes the adjacent Iveagh Grounds, the old Guinness Brewery sports ground which was sold to Trinity College by Diageo with the provision that it could still be enjoyed and used regularly the local community. It also appears to contain at least one protected building which is currently falling into serious disrepair. The ACA will guarantee that the Grounds will be maintained as a living amenity with consequent benefits for the Iveagh Gardens, its residents and the wider Crumlin/Drimnagh community. This will be of huge benefit to this area of the city which has less green space and sporting facilities than many other areas in Dublin.

Proposed Variation No. 8 to the Dublin City Development Plan 2022 – 2028 - Iveagh Gardens & Environs, Crumlin - Submissions

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