Published
Tue, May 23, 2017, 10:41
- The theatre, home to the District 8 nightclub, has avoided redevelopment after local authorities cited a breach in height guidelines.
Tivoli Theatre has avoided demolition after Dublin city council ruled against a redevelopment proposal, saving the nightclub within the building.
The city council dismissed a proposal for a six-storey, 298-bed aparthotel after concerns that the height of the new building would impose an "overbearing and overlooking impact on the adjacent properties, many of which are protected structures." Concerns had been raised that Byrne's plan for the theatre, in the city's historic Liberties area, would deal a severe blow to the area's cultural offering, including District 8, a 1,000-capacity nightclub built six years ago within the grounds of the theatre.
Anthony Byrne, the owner of the building, had submitted an application for the theatre to be torn down to make way for the new complex, which would've also housed a gym, restaurant and bicycle-hire shop, according to the Irish Times.
The council later asked Byrne to revise his proposal, first tendered last year, to include an outdoor space for occasional cultural events. This was called a "tokenistic response" to concerns over the possible loss of Tivoli's current cultural facility, according to An Taisce, or the National Trust For Ireland. In 2005, a bid to redevelop Tivoli Theatre along similar lines had been approved, but Byrne never followed through on the plans.