Expanding Abbey site 'would take six years and open chequebook'

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Archiseek / Ireland / News / 2005 / October 2

It would cost more than €50m and take at least six years to acquire nearby property if the Abbey Theatre was to remain at its current location, according to a confidential report prepared for the Office of Public Works. Discussions with the owners of property in the area served only to "inflate their expectations on value," according to the report. Experts estimated that what should have realistically cost €16-€19m would end up costing the taxpayers more than €50m - before the old Abbey building was demolished and a brick built on the site. "The chances of succeeding in assembling a site large enough to accommodate the Abbey at both a reasonable cost and within a short to medium timeframe is extremely remote," it concludes.

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