Rugby ground residents reject cash offer

DUBLIN 4 residents affected by the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium have been offered €75,000 each in compensation for loss of light to their homes.

But the offer has been rejected by Dublin City councillors who have sought an increased package as part of a deal to allow the developers use a half-acre strip of land in the massive €365m redevelopment project.

Yesterday a special meeting of the council's south-east area committee decided to defer a recommendation that the land at the River Dodder walkway be handed over to the stadium's redevelopers, pending an improved compensation package.

Some 21 householders living in O'Connell Gardens and near the Dodder walkway will be eligible for the package, which has been deemed too low at €75,000 per household.

"We're not satisfied on the rate of progress, and will meet again on Friday morning," council committee member Cllr Dermot Lacey (Labour) said yesterday.

"The bottom line is we're not satisfied with the amount of compensation being paid. It's not an acceptable offer as people will have a ring of steel behind their homes.

"We're not looking to screw the system, but the average house will fall in price by 20pc.

"They (residents) presently have blue skies behind them, but will have a 150-foot high wall when the stadium is redeveloped."

It is planned to transform Lansdowne Road into a 50,000-seater state-of-the-art soccer and rugby stadium which should be open for competitive matches in 2010.

Decision

But the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company (LRSDC) needs a decision from the council if it will hand over a half-acre strip of land at the Dodder Walkway needed for construction of the stadium.

The proposal to transfer the land must be agreed by the southeast area committee and then ratified by the full council.

A full council meeting takes place next Tuesday, and the stadium developers hope that a positive decision will be made. But councillors also want additional information on what security measures will be put in place to secure homes along the Dodder Walkway, and the effects that construction works will have on the structure of some houses. City management has recommended that councillors hand over the land in exchange for river improvement works which are expected to cost €1.5m.

Paul Melia
Irish Independent