Permission had been granted for the demolition of Apollo House and Hawkins House as part of a €50m development for Dublin City Centre.

An Bord Pleanála have granted planning permission for the re-development of the two buildings, despite opposition.

The buildings have long been regarded as some of the 'ugliest' in the city, however last Christmas Apollo House took on a new function when it was occupied by housing activists seeking a solution to Dublin's growing housing crisis.

According to The Irish Times, the 1960's office blocks will be replaced by a ten storey office building, shops, restaurants, a public plaza and a new diagonal pedestrian street.

The project will be one of the capital's largest redevelopments in recent times.

The area was seen as one of three ''key'' sites within the Georges Quay Local Area Plan which envisaged the construction of a ''mid-town'' area of Dublin.

The board said the proposed redevelopment “would not seriously injure the amenities of residential development in the area by reason of overbearing impact, overlooking or overshadowing and would be acceptable in terms of public and private transport and pedestrian safety and convenience”.