Portobello Plaza has been blocked off again.
It was fenced off by the city council for several weekends earlier this year over anti-social behaviour and thousands of people gathering in the area.
Now new hoarding has gone up.
Portabello Plaza is blocked off again and will be for the next 18 to 24 months.
DCC have leased the space to a private developer while a hotel (yay) is built beside it. pic.twitter.com/PziUlbGzMM
— sadhbh 🦀 (@wannabeart_hoe) December 16, 2021
Peter Dooley from the Dublin Renters Union says it's been sealed off to allow construction on a hotel;
"In the last number of days there's been an agreement with Jury's Inn, who are the owners of the new hotel that's going to be built behind here, have occupied up to 80 per cent of this public space now for the next two years."
A disgraceful public land grab of Portobello Plaza by Jurys Inn/ Dublin City Council without ANY REAL public consultation, so much for democracy.
Join us at 1pm this Saturday at Portobello Plaza to protest against this outrageous grab of our public space.#SavePortobelloPlaza pic.twitter.com/Tj0YRzSe0R
— Peter Dooley (@PeterDooleyDUB) December 16, 2021
Dublin City Council says work on the hotel is due to begin after Christmas, lasting 18 months to 2 years.
In a statement it says; "there has been regular contact with local residents and local Councillors and elected representatives, and all parties were aware that a section of the square would be licensed to the developer during the build."
It went on to say a public consultation on redesigning the space is to take place;
"Over the past number of years local residents and Councillors have sought improvements and changes to this civic space and this has only been further highlighted by recent and ongoing antisocial behaviour during the summer."
