Bono to meet with Council to defend Clarence plans

[biff]

Here's an update:


Bono's latest gig: the council

James Doran in Dublin The Observer, Sunday April 13 2008

Bono hopes to give a rare performance in Dublin this week, but don't expect to hear any of the rock star's greatest hits.

The U2 front man is instead hoping to appear before planning officials in the latest bid to win approval for a €150m (£120m) plan to expand his Clarence Hotel in Dublin.

Bono, The Edge, U2's guitarist, and a group of investors have drawn up plans with architect Sir Norman Foster for an ambitious redevelopment, which includes a vast glass atrium in the shape of a Viking longboat.

The plan has been given the go-ahead by Dublin City Council but must be approved by the An Bord Pleanala, an Irish government body that deals with planning appeals.

The project, which involves the partial demolition of several large Georgian buildings that surround the existing Clarence site in trendy Wellington Quay, has drawn the ire of local preservation groups.

Bono is in Dublin consulting with lawyers and architects. 'This meeting is very important to him,' said a source close to Bono.

 

[MsPurrl]

Thanks, biff!

 

[bella88]

Thanks biff for the news

 

[Carek1230]

I never thought I would hear myself saying this but I really wish they would just leave the Clarence alone. It's such a historic and quaint area in Dublin and it's just going to become an eyesore or total tourist trap if they do get approved to build a monstrosity. It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out.

 

[Alisaura]

I never thought I would hear myself saying this but I really wish they would just leave the Clarence alone. It's such a historic and quaint area in Dublin and it's just going to become an eyesore or total tourist trap if they do get approved to build a monstrosity. It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out.

I've never been there, but I feel kinda the same way.

 

[last unicorn]

The expansion is okay for me, unless they really decide to go ahead with this crazy ufo roof. I heard that all the buildings that would be affected are in ruins anyway.

 

[Carek1230]

The area or Bldgs to be affected didn't look to me like they are in ruins.

 

[last unicorn]

I heard that the buildings are in a state of desolation. But I don't know for sure, really. I understand Bono and Edge want to improve and modernize the infrastructure and make the Clarence more attractive, but I really wish they wouldn't go for such drastical changes. Sir Norman Foster is a very renowned architect, it's sad to hear the project is having such a bad reputation.

 

[youvedonewhat]

The only thing I would add to this is that if the buildings around it are architecturally important, it'd be a great shame to loose them. Once they're gone that's it. Finished. I'm sad that a lot of our history has gone in this way. All future generations will have is photographs.

 

[Liesje]

The area or Bldgs to be affected didn't look to me like they are in ruins.

Could be the insides. We have several nice old buildings on our campus that have posed health hazards with asbestos and also have such outdated wiring they have constant problems with electricity and data networking. Several areas have needed to be gutted and remodeled, even though they looked fine.

 

[silvrlvr]

Could be the insides. We have several nice old buildings on our campus that have posed health hazards with asbestos and also have such outdated wiring they have constant problems with electricity and data networking. Several areas have needed to be gutted and remodeled, even though they looked fine.

I think there's two issues here. One is the destruction of Georgian-era buildings, which gets preservationists in a tizzy and the second is the reason why they are to be cleared away. I'm betting that if they could be re-habbed, they would be, but that you're right, it would be too costly to bring them up to code and modernize them. If I'm not mistaken, that's a difficult site, with the river on one side, so the work wouldn't be as easy as if it was in the middle of Dublin and the builders could get at them from all sides.

 

[Rosebud]

I'm generally a pro-preservationist of historic architecture, but I think this could be cool if it's done in the way of mixing old and new. I've seen trendy hotels in Scotland, for example, that have used the facade of beautiful old cathedrals and expanded them with huge glass structures -- so that the influences of ancient and modern are juxtaposed in the most awesome way. It was really quite beautiful; the best of both worlds. If U2 were to take the Clarence in that sort of direction, I think everybody would be happy.

 

[biff]

As I recall, the plan is to preserve the facades of the surrounding buildings whilst gutting their innards. And yes, it was noted by one of the Dublin City Councillors who supported the plan that those surrounding buildings are all in very poor shape.

 

[biff]

Here's a somewhat more detailed account:

Bono sings a financial hymn in Dublin

New York Post, April 13, 2008

James Doran


April 13, 2008 -- DUBLIN - Bono hopes to give a rare performance in Dublin this week but don't expect to hear any of the rockstar's greatest hits.

The U2 front man is instead hoping to appear before planning officials in the latest bid to win approval for a $237.2 million plan to expand his Clarence Hotel.

Bono, U2 guitarist the Edge and a group of investors have drawn up plans with architect Sir Norman Foster for an ambitious redevelopment and expansion of The Clarence, which includes a vast glass atrium in the shape of a Viking long boat.

The plan has been given the go-ahead by Dublin City Council but must be approved by the An Bord Pleanala, an Irish government body that deals with planning appeals.

The project, which involves the partial demolition of several large Georgian buildings that surround the existing Clarence site in Dublin's trendy Wellington Quay, has drawn the ire of local preservation groups, however.

The opposition has grown so vocal that the planning board must decide if it can go ahead unhindered.

If it is given the green light the Clarence expansion will become the first Sir Norman Foster-designed building in the Republic of Ireland. It is also expected to reverse the chic hotel's dire financial fortunes.

The Clarence, which only sleeps 49, is run at a loss and is considered a vanity asset by those who know Bono and his colleagues. The expansion will more than double the number of rooms and boost revenues.

A source close to Bono confirmed that the U2 lead singer is in Dublin preparing for the crucial planning meetings with lawyers, architects and other advisors.

"This meeting, like the hotel project, is very important to him and he is in Dublin to make sure everything goes well," the source said.

A final decision on whether Bono will appear personally at the meeting will be made in the next two days as issues such as security are still being addressed.

"He very much wants to attend," the source said.




I suspect that if the plan is not approved you will see Bono and Edge getting out of the hotel business.

 

[Fille Friday]

My friend was doing her master's about the Georgian houses of Dublin, and how contemporary society deals with them. Some of the laws are so strict. I remember one she told me that if you demolish or change any Georgian era brick wall in Dublin, you have to build the renovation with the same bricks or you have to have Georgian era bricks to rebuild or revamp the house. The Georgian neighborhoods on the Northside are such a pain to deal with, too. It costs so much time and money to do them, I wonder how Bono's promise of boosting revenues would be versus the amount he spends to change the hotel.

I've also seen the 3d model for the Clarence, and the video display next to it, and I have to say it looks terrible. my friend and I wondered what's the use of a sky dome/ light/ catcher if it's always raining or cloudy? It didn't look like the rooms would be very big and the lobby is sectionalised oddly. The light catcher would mutate the entire look of the river walk area, too. All of these really old buildings, then space age.

If they want to change the hotel, I would prefer they think of some alternative ways to do it.

 

[suzannagirl]

Hi all, I stayed at the Clarence whilst in Dublin in September, what a gorgeous place, I thought it was quite sad to hear they were going to change it..my room was oak and had purple and red in it also...my favourite colours...thanks for that one boys...the hotel bar the octagon bar is divine...but its a five star hotel, and it doesn't have gym pool etc, so I suppose thats why they will upgrade, and its not a big hotel, but god its bloody yummy... will see what the irish do about their town..
Suzanna

 

[biff]

Here's the latest, from The Press Association:

The Edge defends revamp of U2 hotel
1 hour ago

The revamp of one of Dublin's landmark hotels by a world-class architect would be an incredible coup for the Irish capital, U2's The Edge has said.

Speaking outside a planning board hearing into the controversial redevelopment of the Clarence Hotel, owned by Bono and The Edge, the rock star said the scheme would bring life back into the city's quays.

The 150 million euro (about £100 million) proposal by Lord (Norman) Foster would see the construction of a new building topped with a massive glass dome.

It has faced strong criticism from heritage groups who have accused the superstars of presiding over the destruction of an historic area of the city along the River Liffey.

But The Edge hit back, branding the period buildings around the hotel "ordinary".

"We feel that while it's very important to preserve the fabric of the period parts of the city, you've got to weigh up the benefits of what would be an incredible coup for Dublin City, a Norman Foster building," he said. "I feel that that outweighs the sacrifice of parts of what are relatively ordinary period buildings."

He claimed conservation just for the sake of conservation was of little value.

"If it is something that is not being used, if it's something that is lying dormant that's basically a dead building, a missing tooth if you want in the smile of the Liffey frontage, we want to bring that back.

"We want to reconstitute and bring life back to the city along that quay front and I think that's the best way to do it," he said.

The hotel on Dublin's south quays was bought by Bono and The Edge in 1996 and has 49 rooms. The redevelopment would increase the capacity to 140 rooms, with 26 suites.

 

[greety]

biff

I don't know how much of this article is true, I can understand Edge's point about the buildings lying dormant (usually till they turn into ruins), but they certainly got the last line wrong. (about the year of purchase)

 

[Rosebud]

Mr. The Edge has a point there.