In 1968, British rock group The Kinks had a hit with The Village Green Preservation Society, a paean to holding onto traditions in the face of progress. When it comes to Sandymount’s own village green, a group of locals are singing to the same tune, forming a steering committee to produce the Sandymount Village Design Statement. Sandymount Green is a source of great local pride for the residents of one of Dublin’s most attractive areas.
Councillor Maria Parodi was an initial member of the SVDS committee, which first met in September 2011. She said the committee was formed to create a vision for the future of the village, in particular the area surrounding the distinctive green. “We feel it’s important to preserve the special character of that area,” she says.
Local resident Joe McCann is a member of the committee, and a keen advocate of the aesthetic qualities of the village green. “It’s lovely to sit in the middle of the green,” he says. “You can look in any direction and see five streets, all with beautiful buildings”.
Preserving the architectural look of these buildings is a key part of the statement. The distinctive red-brick look is “intrinsic to Sandymount’s heritage,” according to the statement. “If you change this for one building it takes away from the look”, McCann says. “We’re not saying every building has to be actually made from red brick,” he clarifies. “You could have a wooden building painted to fit in with the existing red-brick buildings”.
According to McCann, the statement isn’t about halting progress but rather ensuring “the modern blends with the old.”
If you wish to know more about the statement, you can contact the committee by emailing them at svds@dublin.ie
Above: Sandymount Green.
Photo by Ross Waldron.
By Eric Hillis
