The Green Party has called on An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to save Moore Street and the surrounding 1916 Battlefield site from demolition.

Speaking at the 'Arms around Moore Street' rally, the Green Party's local election candidate in Dublin's North Inner City, Ciarán Cuffe, said: "Moore Street and its surroundings belong to us all. Just as Temple Bar was saved from the wrecking ball in the nineteen-eighties by Charlie Haughey's intervention, it is now time for Enda Kenny to step up and protect our irreplaceable heritage. It would be shameful if this 1916 Battlefield site was sacrificed for another shopping centre.

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"What we need is a plan that encourages people to 'Live Over the Shop' in renovated buildings. Such an initiative could also allow for small infill buildings that would respect their surroundings. We also need an approach that supports the existing shops and street traders and helps them to expand, such as a market that would attract people at weekends. Enda Kenny should take the lead and speak up for Moore Street.

"If elected to Dublin City Council, I will propose a Local Area Plan that would safeguard our heritage. Such a plan would cover the area between More Street, O'Connell Street, Henry Street and Parnell Street. It is important to stand up to NAMA and developer Joe O'Reilly, who controls much of the land in the area. While they intend to hold on to four buildings, they intend to sacrifice dozens of others on the altar of progress."

(CD/MH)