Archer's garage on Fenian Street, built in the late 1940s during the romantic era of motoring in Ireland, was demolished over the bank holiday weekend. It had been scheduled for protection on List 1 of the new city plan, adopted last March. On Saturday the building was intact but by Monday morning, it was a pile of rubble. The corporation is treating the matter very seriously because it involved the demolition of a List 1 building and fully intended to prosecute those involved. The architects involved on the site expressed surprise at the demolition. They had been working on plans for an office development on the largely derelict site, where the former garage was the only surviving building.

Under new planning legislation currently before the Dáil, it is proposed to increase the maximum term of imprisonment for the illegal demolition of listed buildings from two to five years. The maximum fine of £1 million remains unchanged.