I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which relates to the Martello tower in Sandymount. The Minister of State will be familiar with Martello towers located across Dublin Bay. I understand that 28 were originally built. Every few of them are in as good nick as the one on Sandymount Strand. As a local Deputy and a former councillor, I am aware that people have been raising this issue on a continuing basis. They would walk along the promenade past the Martello tower, which is such an iconic building. People have not had access to the inside for decades. Those who have lived in the community long enough remember a time when there was a café in the tower. In other parts of the city, such as Dún Laoghaire, there is a James Joyce museum in a Martello tower. I could not tell the Minister of State the number of occasions on which I, as a councillor, was contacted by people asking whether anything could be done with the Martello tower. I do not know how often Dublin City Council wrote to the owner to see whether a collaborative approach could be taken to open the tower. We talk about dereliction and vacancy generally across the city. This is a landmark building. The owner is the only person who has access, which he is perfectly entitled to have. The first time anyone has had a glimpse of the inside of the building is right now because it has been put up for sale. Photographs have been published in order that people can see what the tower looks like inside. It has been decades since anyone has peered into the building. The tower is recognised and registered as a national monument on the national monument registry. There is precedent for the State acquiring buildings that are recognised as national monuments. One of the challenges if the monument goes into private hands is its ability to serve the community and serve its intended purpose. To be fair to the current owner, perhaps 25 years ago or so, a planning application was submitted to put in place a café at the site. For whatever reason, that did not work out. We should be able to do so much more to recognise and preserve our history. This is a unique opportunity. A tower was constructed over 200 years ago by our then colonial overlords to prevent or at least defend against the perceived risk of a French invasion. We now have an opportunity to preserve and highlight that history. It is not just on behalf of the community that I am making this representation. Sandymount Strand is visited by hundreds of people on a daily basis. It is an oasis on Dublin Bay and a UNESCO biosphere. It is something that the whole of Dublin is proud of, enjoys and frequents. There would be an enormous opportunity to create a history tour linking all of the Martello towers. It could become an iconic destination. In terms of value for the State, the Government could work with the local authority and Dublin City Council. To be fair to the council, there has already been some preliminary engagement with the seller. The State and the local authority could work together to provide a café on site that would build up revenue. Whatever the capital cost might be right now, it would wash its face within a short period. The cultural, historic and social dividend for everyone visiting the area would be ginormous. I have raised this matter in order to encourage the relevant agencies of the State to engage with the sales process and investigate and determine whether it is plausible that the State could acquire this Martello tower.

Sentiment score: 0.18

I thank the Minister of State. I am very encouraged by the reply. I may be too much of an optimist. However, to be fair to the OPW, particularly in the context of the reply the Minister of State read out its behalf, it has highlighted a very successful model that has worked when working with a local authority in the preservation of Martello tower in Dún Laoghaire, which is not very far away from the Martello tower in Sandymount, and how it successfully operates as a museum. It is my understanding, as already stated, that there has been some engagement on the part of the local authority regarding the sales process. I acknowledge that it identifies the parent Department as being the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which might have a role in directing the OPW in this matter. This is clearly an area in which the State has comfort. What everybody wants to see is a community dividend from this unique opportunity. I would be concerned that the relevant stakeholders on the State side will not grasp the nettle. This is a live sale process. Theoretically, the tower could be acquired by any person who wishes to acquire it right now. It is for sale on the open market. I will certainly be engaging with Dublin City Council on foot of the reply that has been given. Equally, I will engage with the Ministers responsible in the Department of heritage, particularly as this Martello tower is registered as a national monument. I will highlight, as the OPW has done, a ready-made existing policy, not something to be feared by the State, that has proven successful, viable and that it has the experience to deal with the maintenance of such an important building.

Sentiment score: 0.38