Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre Redevelopment Approved Amid Public Concern Over New Look

Dublin City Council has granted planning permission for the €100 million part-demolition and rejuvenation of Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, a move that has drawn both support and significant public criticism over concerns about altering the building’s iconic appearance.

The approval follows an application by DTDL Ltd, the centre’s owners, to redevelop the site into an eight-storey building featuring reconfigured retail space, new office accommodation for up to 3,000 workers, additional cinema screens, and several hospitality outlets including a restaurant or bar with an outside terrace.

The redevelopment plans, designed by BKD Architects and O’Donnell+Tuomey, will retain the majority of the architectural design of the corner element as initially proposed, according to the council planner’s report. The revised facade includes a canopy cover over the main entrance intended to contribute to placemaking associated with the development.

The retail floor area across basement, ground, and first floor levels will total 19,001 square metres. In total, the council received 61 submissions on the application, with the majority opposing the redevelopment.

One objection, submitted on behalf of the Save Stephen’s Green Campaign, was backed by a petition of 20,000 signatures. Critics argue the changes will negatively impact the character of the Grafton Street area and alter the ‘iconic’ look of a building that has been a prominent feature of the streetscape since the late 1980s.

The council stated that the applicant had satisfactorily addressed concerns regarding a lack of strong placemaking and urban design elements in earlier versions of the plan. However, the city council’s conservation officer reiterated concerns about the overall scale and bulk of the proposed development and its potential impact on the wider area, including how the scheme interacts with Grafton Street and surrounding streetscapes.

A previous redevelopment proposal for the shopping centre was rejected by An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Planning Regulator) last summer. Objectors have indicated they may appeal the latest decision to the same body.

The developers maintain that the redevelopment will rejuvenate and improve the retail offering at the centre, modernising facilities while responding to evolving consumer and workplace demands in Dublin’s city centre.