Potential State Intervention Raises Stakes For Dublin's Long-Stalled Carlton Cinema Site
One of Ireland's most famous stalled development sites could finally be edging toward a resolution after more than three decades of inactivity, the Irish Independent reports.
The Irish government has signalled that it may be prepared to intervene in the future of Dublin's landmark Carlton Cinema site at the northern end of O'Connell Street, which owner Hammerson had previously mooted putting on the market.
The latest catalyst came after Minister of State for Planning John Cummins said the government is prepared to explore acquiring the site if necessary, winning cross-party backing for intervention in a location that has been largely vacant for 32 years despite successive redevelopment proposals.
The comments followed renewed concern over the deteriorating condition of the former Carlton Cinema site, the largest undeveloped plot on Dublin's principal thoroughfare and a project that has previously been described as critical to the regeneration of Dublin city centre.
The Carlton Cinema closed in the early 1990s before being demolished in 1994, leaving behind a prominent gap on O'Connell Street. Today, the site stretches across nearly 6 acres between O'Connell, Moore, Parnell and Henry streets, occupying three city blocks.
In 2015, Hammerson took over several of developer Joe O’Reilly’s Chartered Land assets, including the Carlton site and Dundrum Town Centre, as part of the National Asset Management Agency portfolio known as Project Jewel. It unveiled a master plan in 2018, and after several reviews, in September 2024, An Bord Pleanála granted permission for a €500M plan to redevelop the site as a mixed-use scheme including offices, retail, residential, a hotel, cultural uses and new public streets.
But instead, progress became mired in planning because the site sits immediately beside the nationally significant Moore Street battlefield, which the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising made their final headquarters before surrendering to prevent further civilian casualties and loss of life.
That historic importance led the Dublin City Council to designate several adjoining buildings as protected structures, limiting demolition and prompting Hammerson to launch high court proceedings.
Last December, Hammerson submitted new plans for several historic buildings on the plot of land, pending the outcome of judicial review of the scheme. Hammerson said it had been unable to start work on the site pending the outcome of the legal challenge.
Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Féin leader and a TD for Dublin Central, has supported calls for a state acquisition of the Carlton site but told the Irish Independent that any public acquisition should commemorate its historical significance.
“We want to see this site developed in a way that complements the wider vision for the Moore Street Cultural and Historical Quarter, including the delivery of high-quality and genuinely affordable homes, appropriate cultural uses, attractive public spaces and heritage facilities worthy of this historic location,” she said.
Hammerson declined to comment.
