SAVE THE LANE AND THE HORSE YARDS! 

We are a group of people who want to preserve the historical laneway, *Molyneux yard, with its many horse yards. The laneway, aka "the Lane", is in the heart of in the Liberties in Dublin. Horse owners have been keeping horses in this laneway for generations, and it is a very important meeting place for the entire horse community of inner city Dublin. 

Last year, Dublin City Council granted planning permission to the 8-storey "Vicar Street Hotel", located right next to Molyneux yard - despite enormous opposition from the local community and local councillors. And incredible as it may seem, Dublin City Council has now approved plans to build yet another 8-storey hotel, "Molyneux Hotel" right next to the first one. (The developer of the first hotel is Harry Crosbie, and the developer of the second hotel is Colm Donoghue of Salamisso Developments.)

Between them, the 2 hotels will require the demolishing of 5 of the 7 horse yards in Molyneux yard. And people are devastated! Molyneux yard ("the Lane") means so much to so many people. It is such a vibrant meeting place, and many horse lovers and others have grown up coming to "the Lane" every single day. Residents also feel completely invaded by these aggressive developers, and cannot understand who could possibly advocate the insane idea of building yet another hotel in this very small residential area. 

When our "Save the Lane" group was started in September, there was still time to object to the planning decision for the second hotel, "Molyneux Hotel" (developer Colm Donoghue). Our group submitted an objection to An Bord Pleanála, on the back of an existing appeal made by a resident in August 2020. Unfortunately, huge pressure was put on the resident to withdraw his appeal. He gave in to the pressure, which means that his appeal, along with the 4 objections from residents that were attached to it, are now all invalid. And the planning permission is valid.

We, the members of the "Save the Lane" group, are strongly against this bullying and undemocratic behaviour. The voices of the those who want to defend their community and the horse yards against the developers, have not been heard.

We have started this petition to try and raise awareness and build a campaign against the building of these 2 enormous hotels in Molyneux yard. To be clear, there are two issues here:

1) we want to save the historical laneway, Molyneux yard, with its 7 horse yards, and

2) we want to stop the developers from building, not just 1, but 2 enormous hotels in a very small residential area - in one of the oldest and most historical parts of Dublin. 

It´s important to add that because there was so much campaigning against the first hotel, "Vicar Street Hotel", most residents and horse owners were not even aware that a developer was planning a second hotel right next to it. Planning permission for the second hotel, "Molyneux Hotel", seems to have been given on the sly, without properly informing the residents or horse owners about what was going on.  

Anyone who feels this is wrong, please sign this petition! 

*This laneway, Molyneux yard, also has a huge historical value. It is around 600 years old and one of the oldest and best preserved laneways from the post-medieval period. Molyneux yard is also in an architectural conservation area, and is supposed to be protected by Dublin City Council. The horse culture in the Liberties in Dublin goes back to the start of the Guinness factory in 1759, and the horses were used in the factory for just over 200 years. The people in this area have such a deep relationship with their horses, and it gets completely disregarded by the Council and government. Horse owners keep being thrown out of their horse yards, and don´t even put up a fight anymore, because they know the Council never listens to them.

Here is a song from norwegian musician, "The Musical Slave", who spent 2 1/2 years in Molyneux yard, and also kept a horse there: https://youtu.be/19A53SyAUak