Henrietta Street Conservation Plan - The Heritage Council

“like to see a coffee shop use on street... a simple gathering
place”
“continue on the way it is – patch up and repair and move
on... cultural diversity is a great strength... owners are a
great strength”
“all houses as living/used units... street to be alive... become
more visitor friendly”
“mellow texture retained... sense of age/patina retained”
In addition to the above, other questions addressed the
importance – locally, nationally, internationally, of Henrietta
Street; the appropriateness of ring-fencing the street for
special funding/planning control/designation, e.g., as an
Architectural Conservation Area or World Heritage Site or to
establish a Henrietta Street Foundation/Trust; how important
is the impact of development within the area surrounding
Henrietta Street, including Henrietta Lane and, should No.15
be reinstated and, if so how.
The discussions which took place during these consultation
sessions have informed the consultants’ understanding of
the issues and threats affecting Henrietta Street and are
also reflected in the policies of the Conservation Plan. One
of the principal goals of a Conservation Plan is to achieve
a consensus amongst the stakeholders for a particular site.
In the case of Henrietta Street, there are quite a number
of stakeholders and achieving consensus is complex.
However, the following summarises the main areas where
consensus exists:
- Henrietta Street is of great importance, architecturally
and historically both in the history of the city of Dublin’s
development and in the European context.
- Today, the street is more secure than it has been for
most of the 20th century. This is primarily due to the
current property owners, the new legislative protection
on the houses and a general growing awareness of the
importance of the street and its buildings.
- The cultural and social mix of the street today is
very much part of the particular character which it
has. However, this use mix is vulnerable to change,
particularly in the present economic environment.
professional/craftsmanship skills to ensure that the
necessary works are carried out to the right standards
and in a timely way that no valuable material is lost.
- Further concern exists with regard to the poor condition
of Nos.3 and 14 and the uncertainty with regard to their
future.
- The impact on the character of Henrietta Street is seen
as an important consideration to be taken on board
when assessing any development proposals for the
street and the area around it.
- The public realm of the street could be improved by
replacing the present bollards with a more appropriate
type.
- Improved public access to the street and the houses
is seen as desirable, however the impact of facilitating
this needs to be assessed with regard to the particular
significance of the relevant building(s) to which access
is to be provided.
- There are merits to considering a Henrietta Street
Foundation/Trust as a vehicle to manage maintenance,
attract and distribute funding, carry out some repair
works, monitor building conditions and standards of
works.
In addition to individual consultation meetings, all those
consulted were invited to make written submissions to the
Plan. Those received are contained in Appendix H along
with a list of those individuals and groups who took part in
the consultation process.
One submission which it was requested to include in the
Conservation Plan is an acknowledgment of a private
donation to carry out repair works to Nos. 5, 6 & 7. This
acknowledgment reads as follows:
“Given the importance of Henrietta Street in the historical
heritage of Dublin City and the recent upgrading of Nos. 8
– 10, a donor has enabled the owners of 5, 6 & 7 to upgrade
the railings and lower floors of their premises. This in the
hope that other donors will encourage the upgrading of
Nos. 4, 12, 13, & 15, and also to resolve the impasses over
the compulsory purchase orders on Nos. 3 & 14, and the
rehabilitation of those properties.”
- Despite this the history of the street shows the
robustness of the buildings to endure considerable
changes without affecting their overall character and
architectural significance.
- Perhaps the main areas of concern for the future of the
street are the lack of appropriate funding and technical/
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