“A thorn in the side of efforts to develop street art in Dublin in recent years…”
Hundreds of people have signed a petition to save Dublin’s iconic Horseboy mural.
The artwork, currently residing on side of a house just off Church street in the Smithfield area, risks being removed due to the absence of planning permission.
The tenant of the house has asked Dublin City Council to allow the mural to remain, however the owner of the property has raised “an objection to the painting.”
Mural artist Subset has launched a petition to save the Horseboy mural and to make the house it is painted on an “exempted property.”
“The need for planning permission for murals has been a thorn in the side of efforts to develop street art in Dublin in recent years,” they wrote.
https://twitter.com/SubsetDublin/status/1161937850306351104?s=20
According to Subset, the tenant of the house provided three reasons why the painting should be allowed to remain on the wall.
“Firstly, it was said the mural works were carried out for the maintenance and improvement of the property,” they said.
“Prior to that, the wall had been subject to graffiti. The works ‘do not materially affect the external appearance of the structure/property.'”
At the time of writing, the petition has received over 500 signatures.
Dublin City Council could not provide Her with a statement regarding the Horseboy case, however their application process for large scale city artwork details a planning permission requirement except on hoardings or exempt properties.
Exemptions are judged on a case-by-case basis, but can be approved when concerned with the likes of graffiti, tagging, or when highlighting social issues.
They often require written permission from the property’s owner and a content submission ahead of installation.
“The City Council is supportive of Street Art as an art form and acknowledges its contribution to the city,” the requirement reads.
“Should approval be given, the street art will be approved by the subject of a written agreement or contract for a set period of time. The applicant will be required to remove the piece after that permission elapses.”
An Bord Pleanála are set to rule on the Horseboy mural case soon.
You can check out Subset’s petition here.
