Sir, – Now that Transport Infrastructure Ireland has acquired a portion of the Hammerson site on O’Connell Street for the development of MetroLink, planning for redevelopment should proceed in tandem with the metro works without further delay. The story of the site over the past five decades, parts of which have been vacant since 1979, has been one of demolition, dereliction and neglect, with fantastical plans along the way for a sloping rooftop park in the sky. Certainly, housing is much needed, and the capital is also deficient in cultural infrastructure for a city of its size. A report commissioned by Dublin City Council in 2023 identified a gap in midscale venue provision in the city, with 83 per cent of stakeholders surveyed in favour of filling it. This site is the obvious place to build one. It would bring night-time animation back to a street that empties after dark, and help restore O’Connell Street as Dublin’s own West End, with something for people to see when they step off the new metro. – Yours, etc, WILLIE WHITE,Phibsborough, Dublin 7.