The office building at Number 8 Eustace Street in Temple Bar, Dublin, is due to be converted into an adult sex shop, despite fierce opposition from 'The Ark' cultural centre and the local traders' association.

"We are expressing our deep concern over this development, " said Eina McHugh, director of The Ark. "Our centre is unique within the nation, and internationally renowned. We have over 40,000 primary school children visiting us every year, including between 30 and 50 delegations from other countries. We care about children's well-being and we want their visit to the centre to be a positive experience. This decision was made without any consultation with us, or any consideration for how close [the adult shop] would be to the children."

The chief executive of the Traders in the Area Supporting the Cultural Quarter (TASCQ) said it had already been in discussion with Dublin city council's planning department about the proposed development.

"This was only brought to our attention two months ago, " said Martin Harte. "This is not a moral issue. We have no objection to adult shops in general, but hundreds of schoolchildren would have to walk past this shop every day to get to The Ark. It's just not suitable, and it doesn't make sense that it could happen. There would be total outrage if someone suggested opening an adult shop beside a primary school. Just because this happens to be in Temple Bar, it is no different."

Harte said that TASCQ had been contacting all the local politicians in the area, with a view to organising a meeting to discuss the opening of the shop.

"We just want to see if any variation can be made to the development plan, or if there's anything at all that can be done to prevent this, " he said. "There has to be some form of protection for children's amenities in this country, and these developments do need to be dealt with sensitively. Not right on the door of the only children's cultural centre in the country."

The news that another sex shop just around the corner from The Ark has recently relocated from its basement venue to the ground floor on Dame Street has led Temple Bar residents to fear that there may be a growing trend of sex shops in the area.

"Now the children will have to walk past two sex shops to get to the cultural centre, and that's just not right, " said Harte.

Kevin O'Sullivan of Dublin city council said that, because planning permission was not needed to change the use of the building, the council had been unable to confirm that a sex shop was opening on the premises.

"At the moment, we're looking at preventing signage from going up outside the building, or at taking action to prevent signage from going up, " he said. "The problem is, anyone is entitled open a shop where there is already permission for a retail unit."