The Porterhouse pub chain has applied for planning permission for an €8 million distillery in Dingle, Co Kerry.
If the project gets the go-ahead, the distillery will produce ‘‘super premium’’ whiskey and gin, using water from a 120-foot well and spring. A former creamery building just outside the centre of the town would house the distillery and a visitors’ centre.
Jerry O’Sullivan, a Dingle auctioneer and managing director of Southbound Properties, which sold the creamery, is investing in the scheme with the Porterhouse group. The group, headed by Oliver Hughes, already brews its own beers and has bars in Ireland and Britain.
It has 250 staff and revenues of about €27.5 million. The former head distiller of Laphroaig scotch, John McDougal, will be a consultant to the distillery project, and Jaime Jurado, an American master distiller, will be responsible for the finished product. Equipment will be imported from Forsyth’s still-makers in Scotland.
Hughes said he had been visiting Dingle on holidays for 25 years and had often considered opening a distillery there.
‘‘About 60 new distilleries have opened in the United States and Scotland in the past few years. The example of companies like Anchor Steam, which opened a micro-distillery in the United States five or six years ago, got me thinking,” he said.
‘‘The one thing you need for whiskey is provenance, and we have a wonderful tradition of poitín-making in this country. The new distillery will be aiming very much at the top end of the market, which is currently growing at around 15 per cent per annum.
‘‘We’ll be producing handcrafted, triple-distilled whiskey, using oak vats which were previously used to store port and American bourbon.”
The project will create 18 to 20 jobs, between the distillery and the visitors’ centre. Whiskey production should begin towards the end of next year. The Dingle distillery would be the fifth operational distillery on the island of Ireland.
The largest is Irish Distillers’ Jameson Experience in Midleton, Co Cork, which produces Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Powers, Paddy and Redbreast. Businessman John Teeling owns the Cooley distillery in Co Louth, which makes Kilbeggan whiskey, Tyrconnell single malt and Connemara peated single malt.
Cooley also owns Locke’s Distillery in Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, which matures most oft he Cooley produce and operates its own pot-still making malt whiskey. Diageo’s distillery in Bushmills, Co Antrim, produces one oft he world’s top-selling whiskeys.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label planning and development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning and development. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Plan for Ballintyre Hall rejected
Plans to turn Ballintyre Hall into a single residence have been refused because it would take communal land away from homes nearby
DÚN LAOGHAIRE Rathdown County Council has refused planning permission to turn Ballintyre Hall in Dublin 16 into a stand-alone dwelling on a one-acre site.
Ray Grehan’s Glenkerrin Homes was seeking permission to revert the use of Ballintyre Hall – the period house at the heart of the upmarket Ballintyre residential scheme – back to a house, with a view to selling it as a family home.
Previously the developer had sought permission to turn the 609sq m (6,555sq ft) listed house into 12 apartments but eventually only secured permission for four.
This application has not been acted on and currently the house is in its original state.
In refusing Glenkerrin’s application, planners at the council said the proposal to remove one acre of common landscaped grounds would result in a significant reduction in the communal open space of the overall Ballintyre scheme.
The development would “detract from the open character” and “diminish the overall quality and attractiveness of the open landscape”.
The imposing Ballintyre Hall is the final piece in the jigsaw of the Ballintyre site off Ballinteer Avenue.
The 24-acre site was bought by Ray Grehan in 2003 for around €51 million and 118 houses and 375 apartments have been built here so far.
Directly adjoining Ballintyre Hall, kitchen, stores, wine cellars and servants’ quarters, have been developed into mews-style homes.
Meanwhile, over in Dublin 6W Sheelin McSharry’s plans to turn Bushy Park House into 14 apartments has been met with opposition from the management company of the adjoining residential development, Bushy Park Management (No 3 ) Ltd.
In a letter to An Bord Pleanála the management company noted that although the developer had committed to use the listed house for technology/education purposes, it was currently being used as a store for second-hand furniture.
The company has raised concerns about damage to the architectural integrity of the house and the construction of apartments at basement level.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
DÚN LAOGHAIRE Rathdown County Council has refused planning permission to turn Ballintyre Hall in Dublin 16 into a stand-alone dwelling on a one-acre site.
Ray Grehan’s Glenkerrin Homes was seeking permission to revert the use of Ballintyre Hall – the period house at the heart of the upmarket Ballintyre residential scheme – back to a house, with a view to selling it as a family home.
Previously the developer had sought permission to turn the 609sq m (6,555sq ft) listed house into 12 apartments but eventually only secured permission for four.
This application has not been acted on and currently the house is in its original state.
In refusing Glenkerrin’s application, planners at the council said the proposal to remove one acre of common landscaped grounds would result in a significant reduction in the communal open space of the overall Ballintyre scheme.
The development would “detract from the open character” and “diminish the overall quality and attractiveness of the open landscape”.
The imposing Ballintyre Hall is the final piece in the jigsaw of the Ballintyre site off Ballinteer Avenue.
The 24-acre site was bought by Ray Grehan in 2003 for around €51 million and 118 houses and 375 apartments have been built here so far.
Directly adjoining Ballintyre Hall, kitchen, stores, wine cellars and servants’ quarters, have been developed into mews-style homes.
Meanwhile, over in Dublin 6W Sheelin McSharry’s plans to turn Bushy Park House into 14 apartments has been met with opposition from the management company of the adjoining residential development, Bushy Park Management (No 3 ) Ltd.
In a letter to An Bord Pleanála the management company noted that although the developer had committed to use the listed house for technology/education purposes, it was currently being used as a store for second-hand furniture.
The company has raised concerns about damage to the architectural integrity of the house and the construction of apartments at basement level.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 22 August 2008
Barrister objects over high-rise wooden hotel
A HIGH-profile barrister has objected to plans to build a five-star, 10-storey wooden hotel in Dublin's Temple Bar.
Colm MacEochaidh, who is currently representing residents opposed to high-rise building in Ballsbridge, claims that the new hotel on Exchange Street will force him to live with his curtains drawn because his living room will be overlooked by hotel guests. He says that the proposed building will be the tallest in that part of the city.
Last month, Dublin City Council granted planning permission for the building but ordered that it be reduced from a planned 12 storeys to 10.
The decision was appealed by developer Accol Investments, An Taisce and Mr MacEochaidh to An Bord Pleanala. A decision will be reached by mid-December.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Colm MacEochaidh, who is currently representing residents opposed to high-rise building in Ballsbridge, claims that the new hotel on Exchange Street will force him to live with his curtains drawn because his living room will be overlooked by hotel guests. He says that the proposed building will be the tallest in that part of the city.
Last month, Dublin City Council granted planning permission for the building but ordered that it be reduced from a planned 12 storeys to 10.
The decision was appealed by developer Accol Investments, An Taisce and Mr MacEochaidh to An Bord Pleanala. A decision will be reached by mid-December.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Housing scheme gets go-ahead despite flood risk
A field in Co Galway has been given the go-ahead as the site for a new development of 48 houses -- despite flooding concerns.
As householders around the country continue to count the cost of having their homes destroyed by flood waters, the decision by planners in the West to grant permission for the development has been slammed as 'daft'.
At the same time as Environment Minister John Gormley was signalling a ban on building on flood plains, during his visit to flood-hit Carlow on Monday a letter confirming the decision to grant planning permission for the scheme in Mountbellew was dropping through the door of James Mannion.
Mr Mannion had objected to the plan by developers, Newmarket Projects Ltd, to build 20 detached and 28 semi-detached units along with a waste water treatment plant and associated site works just off the Roscommon Road.
Mr Mannion and his family have lived alongside the site for the past 30 years and he lodged an objection to the proposed development, pointing out that the site was on a flood plain and was subject to flooding at any time of year.
Mr Mannion said: "The site is on the edge of a tributary of the River Shevin and, while it's very fine to grant permission now, what will happen in a couple of years to the people who bought houses there?"
Application
In its application for the houses, Newmarket Projects Ltd, which is listed as c/o HDS Consultancy Services of Ballybrit, Galway, addresses the flooding concerns.
In its application assessment, the company states: "We submit that the site is on lands described as 'liable to flooding' on the 6" map of the area. However, the Hydrological Report in Appendix E clearly shows that flooding has not occurred at the site in at least 20 years
"Should flooding occur however, the proposed dwellings will be raised above the site to such an extent that any possible flooding will not affect them."
During his visit to Carlow, scene of some of the worst flooding in the country last weekend, Mr Gormley confirmed that new guidelines limiting development on flood plains would be put on the table within weeks.
In future, unless developers can prove flooding will not arise, planning applications for development will be refused.
However, a final decision on the Mountbellew plan will not be made until 32 days from the date of the initial decision.
Brian McDonald
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
As householders around the country continue to count the cost of having their homes destroyed by flood waters, the decision by planners in the West to grant permission for the development has been slammed as 'daft'.
At the same time as Environment Minister John Gormley was signalling a ban on building on flood plains, during his visit to flood-hit Carlow on Monday a letter confirming the decision to grant planning permission for the scheme in Mountbellew was dropping through the door of James Mannion.
Mr Mannion had objected to the plan by developers, Newmarket Projects Ltd, to build 20 detached and 28 semi-detached units along with a waste water treatment plant and associated site works just off the Roscommon Road.
Mr Mannion and his family have lived alongside the site for the past 30 years and he lodged an objection to the proposed development, pointing out that the site was on a flood plain and was subject to flooding at any time of year.
Mr Mannion said: "The site is on the edge of a tributary of the River Shevin and, while it's very fine to grant permission now, what will happen in a couple of years to the people who bought houses there?"
Application
In its application for the houses, Newmarket Projects Ltd, which is listed as c/o HDS Consultancy Services of Ballybrit, Galway, addresses the flooding concerns.
In its application assessment, the company states: "We submit that the site is on lands described as 'liable to flooding' on the 6" map of the area. However, the Hydrological Report in Appendix E clearly shows that flooding has not occurred at the site in at least 20 years
"Should flooding occur however, the proposed dwellings will be raised above the site to such an extent that any possible flooding will not affect them."
During his visit to Carlow, scene of some of the worst flooding in the country last weekend, Mr Gormley confirmed that new guidelines limiting development on flood plains would be put on the table within weeks.
In future, unless developers can prove flooding will not arise, planning applications for development will be refused.
However, a final decision on the Mountbellew plan will not be made until 32 days from the date of the initial decision.
Brian McDonald
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 15 August 2008
€4 million hotel plan opposed
PLANS BY Clare hurling star and Waterford senior manager Davy Fitzgerald to build a €4 million boutique hotel near Shannon airport are facing opposition.
Last month the double All-Ireland winning goalkeeper applied to demolish the Bellsfort Inn pub and function room and replace it with a two-storey, 23-bed hotel with a bar and function room.
The proposed development is on a country road linking Newmarket-on-Fergus and Shannon airport. It is three miles from the airport, which was used by over 3.6 million people last year.
In an objection to Clare County Council, Séamus and Anne Ryan, Fairfield, Lemanaghmore, Newmarket, say "nothing in the development proposal indicates that it makes any contribution to the local area, or presents a demonstrable need for this type of development in the area. The Shannon area is currently well served with food and accommodation facilities."
The Ryans say the overdevelopment of the site would give rise to "serious detrimental impact to the amenity of the property, generate traffic hazards and give rise to serious negative impact on the environment".
They argue the provision of a second storey would not simply result in a building higher than adjacent properties but would result in a dominant, top-heavy structure, "which is incongruous with the surrounding area . . . and will be highly visible in the area".
A stated objective of the Clare County Development Plan is to ensure the existing character of an area is respected and that new development does not harm the amenity of adjoining properties and the surrounding area.
A decision is due on the application next month.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Last month the double All-Ireland winning goalkeeper applied to demolish the Bellsfort Inn pub and function room and replace it with a two-storey, 23-bed hotel with a bar and function room.
The proposed development is on a country road linking Newmarket-on-Fergus and Shannon airport. It is three miles from the airport, which was used by over 3.6 million people last year.
In an objection to Clare County Council, Séamus and Anne Ryan, Fairfield, Lemanaghmore, Newmarket, say "nothing in the development proposal indicates that it makes any contribution to the local area, or presents a demonstrable need for this type of development in the area. The Shannon area is currently well served with food and accommodation facilities."
The Ryans say the overdevelopment of the site would give rise to "serious detrimental impact to the amenity of the property, generate traffic hazards and give rise to serious negative impact on the environment".
They argue the provision of a second storey would not simply result in a building higher than adjacent properties but would result in a dominant, top-heavy structure, "which is incongruous with the surrounding area . . . and will be highly visible in the area".
A stated objective of the Clare County Development Plan is to ensure the existing character of an area is respected and that new development does not harm the amenity of adjoining properties and the surrounding area.
A decision is due on the application next month.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Landscaping dispute between brothers adjourned
A DISPUTE between one of the country’s biggest property developers and his brother over contouring and landscaping works at his home has been adjourned to allow an engineer for one of the parties to examine the works.
Michael O’Flynn, MD of O’Flynn Construction, has been taken to court by his brother, Laurence, who alleges that landscaping work at Michael O’Flynn’s house at Kilcrea, Ovens, Co Cork, is not in keeping with the planning permission.
Michael O’Flynn was granted planning permission for the two-storey nine-bay break-fronted house in a mid-19th century neo-classical style by Cork County Council. This was later appealed by Laurence O’Flynn’s wife, Eileen and son, Adrian, to An Bord Pleanála.
An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission but attached a number of conditions, including one that the entrance to the property should be constructed in accordance with the layout of a revised planning submission on a contour plan submitted on March 29th, 2004.
Yesterday at Cork Circuit Court, Judge Patrick Moran heard closing submissions in an application brought by Laurence and Eileen O’Flynn under section 160 of the Planning Act 2000 that the entrance and related landscaping works did not meet the planning permission.
Counsel for Laurence O’Flynn, Ciarán O’Loughlin SC, had told an earlier hearing that the avenue did not comply with the conditions set out by An Bord Pleanála in that it involved a much wider sweep around his client’s property than was sanctioned by the appeals board. Mr O’Loughlin said such a sweep for the avenue had led Michael O’Flynn to landscape the site in such a way as to raise up the contours of the site which was in breach of An Bord Pleanála’s conditions and which reduced their visual amenity.
However, David Sutton SC, for Michael O’Flynn and his wife, Joan, said the landscaping work was substantially in compliance with the conditions of planning and as such was carried out with planning permission.
Judge Moran, who twice visited the site earlier this month, noted that before the landscaping work was done, Laurence and Eileen O’Flynn had a view from their kitchen and living room of rolling fields but that view was no longer available to them due to the landscaping.
Mr Sutton said there was no such thing as a right to a view in planning law and he reiterated his belief that because the landscaping had been substantially in compliance with the planning conditions, it had planning permission.
Describing the case as one of the most upsetting civil matters he had come upon, Judge Moran adjourned the matter until October to allow an engineer for Laurence O’Flynn to examine the landscaping from Michael O’Flynn’s property.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Michael O’Flynn, MD of O’Flynn Construction, has been taken to court by his brother, Laurence, who alleges that landscaping work at Michael O’Flynn’s house at Kilcrea, Ovens, Co Cork, is not in keeping with the planning permission.
Michael O’Flynn was granted planning permission for the two-storey nine-bay break-fronted house in a mid-19th century neo-classical style by Cork County Council. This was later appealed by Laurence O’Flynn’s wife, Eileen and son, Adrian, to An Bord Pleanála.
An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission but attached a number of conditions, including one that the entrance to the property should be constructed in accordance with the layout of a revised planning submission on a contour plan submitted on March 29th, 2004.
Yesterday at Cork Circuit Court, Judge Patrick Moran heard closing submissions in an application brought by Laurence and Eileen O’Flynn under section 160 of the Planning Act 2000 that the entrance and related landscaping works did not meet the planning permission.
Counsel for Laurence O’Flynn, Ciarán O’Loughlin SC, had told an earlier hearing that the avenue did not comply with the conditions set out by An Bord Pleanála in that it involved a much wider sweep around his client’s property than was sanctioned by the appeals board. Mr O’Loughlin said such a sweep for the avenue had led Michael O’Flynn to landscape the site in such a way as to raise up the contours of the site which was in breach of An Bord Pleanála’s conditions and which reduced their visual amenity.
However, David Sutton SC, for Michael O’Flynn and his wife, Joan, said the landscaping work was substantially in compliance with the conditions of planning and as such was carried out with planning permission.
Judge Moran, who twice visited the site earlier this month, noted that before the landscaping work was done, Laurence and Eileen O’Flynn had a view from their kitchen and living room of rolling fields but that view was no longer available to them due to the landscaping.
Mr Sutton said there was no such thing as a right to a view in planning law and he reiterated his belief that because the landscaping had been substantially in compliance with the planning conditions, it had planning permission.
Describing the case as one of the most upsetting civil matters he had come upon, Judge Moran adjourned the matter until October to allow an engineer for Laurence O’Flynn to examine the landscaping from Michael O’Flynn’s property.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 24 July 2008
124 homes planned for former bank sports grounds
O'MALLEY CONSTRUCTION has submitted a planning application for a 124-unit residential development at the former Bank of Ireland sports grounds at Knockrabo, Goatstown, Dublin 14.
This is the third planning application the company has lodged for the site, having failed twice before to get planning permission.
Last year An Bord Pleanála refused O'Malley Construction planning permission for a 129-unit housing scheme because the scheme adjoins a reservation for a major road development, the Sandyford to St Helen's link road, and a road layout for the area had not been finalised by the National Roads Authority at that stage.
Two years ago a similar scheme proposed by the company for 159 units was refused on the same grounds.
An Bord Pleanála is expected to decide in the coming months whether Compulsory Purchase Orders on lands along the Sandyford to St Helen's link road will go ahead.
The site is bounded by the Salamanca, Salzburg and Heidelberg roads in Ardilea. Local residents came out in force against previous developments, objecting on the grounds of its density.
This time around O'Malley Construction is looking for 124 residential units, comprising 102 apartments and 22 houses in three blocks on the five-acre site.
In April developer Niall Mellon of Knockrabo Developments Ltd submitted a planning application for his 5.9-acre part of the grounds. It is three years since he was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for a development of over 360 residential units on the site.
He is submitting a planning application to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for a much smaller development of 85 residential units (comprising 26 five-bed four-storey houses, one three-storey house and 58 apartments in three five-storey blocks).
He is also looking to build a new entrance off Mount Anville Road.
Mellon purchased the site for €50 million in 2003 from Michael Roden's Merrion Property Group.
O'Malley Developments bought a portion of the site from Knockrabo Developments in an off-market deal.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
This is the third planning application the company has lodged for the site, having failed twice before to get planning permission.
Last year An Bord Pleanála refused O'Malley Construction planning permission for a 129-unit housing scheme because the scheme adjoins a reservation for a major road development, the Sandyford to St Helen's link road, and a road layout for the area had not been finalised by the National Roads Authority at that stage.
Two years ago a similar scheme proposed by the company for 159 units was refused on the same grounds.
An Bord Pleanála is expected to decide in the coming months whether Compulsory Purchase Orders on lands along the Sandyford to St Helen's link road will go ahead.
The site is bounded by the Salamanca, Salzburg and Heidelberg roads in Ardilea. Local residents came out in force against previous developments, objecting on the grounds of its density.
This time around O'Malley Construction is looking for 124 residential units, comprising 102 apartments and 22 houses in three blocks on the five-acre site.
In April developer Niall Mellon of Knockrabo Developments Ltd submitted a planning application for his 5.9-acre part of the grounds. It is three years since he was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for a development of over 360 residential units on the site.
He is submitting a planning application to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for a much smaller development of 85 residential units (comprising 26 five-bed four-storey houses, one three-storey house and 58 apartments in three five-storey blocks).
He is also looking to build a new entrance off Mount Anville Road.
Mellon purchased the site for €50 million in 2003 from Michael Roden's Merrion Property Group.
O'Malley Developments bought a portion of the site from Knockrabo Developments in an off-market deal.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Crosbie gets go-ahead for 'no star' hotel
DEVELOPER HARRY Crosbie has been granted planning permission to build a no-star hotel - where room rates will start at €50 - to the rear of the Vicar Street music venue in Dublin's Liberties.
In March, Crosbie's plan for an eight-storey 180-bedroom hotel was turned down by Dublin City Council because of its height, massing and proximity to properties on Vicar Street, which it said would "seriously injure" and overshadow residential amenities and other developments in the area.
This time around he was looking to build an eight-storey hotel but on a smaller scale with 1,285sq m (13,832sq ft) of space. He is seeking to build 14 more hotel bedrooms than the last application at 194 but, while he is proposing a creative art studio, he is no longer proposing a workshop/ rehearsal space on the ground floor.
Crosbie has said the hotel will be almost "monastic" in terms of its facilities and will not seek a star rating from Bord Fáilte because it will be "too basic to have any stars".
The most lavish aspect of the development will be the €1 million spent on art works by young Irish artists for the bedrooms. A freight lift will bring patrons to the residents' bar, restaurant and check-in area in a "big glass box on top of the hotel" with city views.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
In March, Crosbie's plan for an eight-storey 180-bedroom hotel was turned down by Dublin City Council because of its height, massing and proximity to properties on Vicar Street, which it said would "seriously injure" and overshadow residential amenities and other developments in the area.
This time around he was looking to build an eight-storey hotel but on a smaller scale with 1,285sq m (13,832sq ft) of space. He is seeking to build 14 more hotel bedrooms than the last application at 194 but, while he is proposing a creative art studio, he is no longer proposing a workshop/ rehearsal space on the ground floor.
Crosbie has said the hotel will be almost "monastic" in terms of its facilities and will not seek a star rating from Bord Fáilte because it will be "too basic to have any stars".
The most lavish aspect of the development will be the €1 million spent on art works by young Irish artists for the bedrooms. A freight lift will bring patrons to the residents' bar, restaurant and check-in area in a "big glass box on top of the hotel" with city views.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Architects rate Sligo as best council for planning
Eighty per cent of architects believe that planning decisions made by local authorities do not support good quality design, according to a survey commissioned by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI).
In the survey, carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes, architects rated Sligo County Council as the best planning service provider and Clare County Council as the poorest in terms of dealing with planning applications.
RIAI president Seán Ó Laoire said the lack of consistency among local authorities “is wasting the resources of architects who have lodged planning applications as well as that of the local authorities themselves.
“The survey results show that we are not in a position to deliver quality in the built environment with current planning practices”, he said.
The greatest criticism was that planners were under-qualified or under-trained, whille 86 per cent felt the system was not good at coping with changes relating to the energy performance, accessibility and sustainability of buildings.
Fifty-eight per cent of respondents agreed that inconsistent advice at pre-planning meetings results in unnecessary redesign work, and over 60 per cent overall said it was up to the Department of the Environment to improve the planning process.
Just over half of the architects expressed concern that only 14 per cent of the local authorities they dealt with in the last two years provided an on-the-spot validation service.
Under the 2000 Planning Act, as Mr Ó Laoire noted, a system of checking planning applications for compliance with submission requirements – to ensure better quality applications – was introduced and this is referred to as validation.
“However, in reality, the validation process has proven to be more time consuming and expensive for many applicants and the Local Authorities than the actual planning permission process itself”.
The survey, which covered 392 RIAI members, found that about one third of all planning applications made by them were in the Dublin region, with 22 per cent in the rest of Leinster, 26 per cent in Munster and the rest in Connaught/Ulster.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
In the survey, carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes, architects rated Sligo County Council as the best planning service provider and Clare County Council as the poorest in terms of dealing with planning applications.
RIAI president Seán Ó Laoire said the lack of consistency among local authorities “is wasting the resources of architects who have lodged planning applications as well as that of the local authorities themselves.
“The survey results show that we are not in a position to deliver quality in the built environment with current planning practices”, he said.
The greatest criticism was that planners were under-qualified or under-trained, whille 86 per cent felt the system was not good at coping with changes relating to the energy performance, accessibility and sustainability of buildings.
Fifty-eight per cent of respondents agreed that inconsistent advice at pre-planning meetings results in unnecessary redesign work, and over 60 per cent overall said it was up to the Department of the Environment to improve the planning process.
Just over half of the architects expressed concern that only 14 per cent of the local authorities they dealt with in the last two years provided an on-the-spot validation service.
Under the 2000 Planning Act, as Mr Ó Laoire noted, a system of checking planning applications for compliance with submission requirements – to ensure better quality applications – was introduced and this is referred to as validation.
“However, in reality, the validation process has proven to be more time consuming and expensive for many applicants and the Local Authorities than the actual planning permission process itself”.
The survey, which covered 392 RIAI members, found that about one third of all planning applications made by them were in the Dublin region, with 22 per cent in the rest of Leinster, 26 per cent in Munster and the rest in Connaught/Ulster.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Saturday, 5 July 2008
Crosbie plans 'Giant Man' project as colossal attraction
DEVELOPER HARRY Crosbie has unveiled proposals for a 35m (110ft) high “Giant Man” that will allow visitors to walk around inside and learn about how the human body works.
Mr Crosbie got the idea when he visited Corpus, a similar project at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. He bought the licence and has got financial approval for the € 55 million project, which will now be submitted to Dublin City Council for planning permission.
Mr Crosbie said the Giant Man will be one of the centrepieces of the € 850 million Point Village which includes the refurbished and extended 14,000-seater Point theatre, reopening as the O2 in December.
“What the docks need most of all is people and we see this and the new O2 as a giant people-magnet. We want to move the centre of gravity of the city eastwards and down the river.
“We think it would be a phenomenal attraction for young people and there are just not enough tourist attractions in the city. I think we will be able to pull visitors into it in a way nearly to the extent that the Guinness Hop Stores does.”
Visitors will enter the giant’s brain through a lift to the 10th floor. They will then descend down the spinal cord, stopping off at all the major organs on the way to the feet. There will be screens at every turn with information on how the body works.
The project is supported by the Royal College of Surgeons. Its chief executive Michael Horgan said they were “delighted” to be associated with it. Trinity College provost Dr John Hegarty said it had the potential to capture the imagination of the public and “allow tangible interaction with the sciences”. It has also been endorsed by the Ireland Fund. Its chairman, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, said she was proud to be associated with it.
Mr Crosbie said the Giant Man could be built next year if planning permission is granted. He is confident a deal can be done with the council.
“My local councillor is Bertie Ahern – he advises me on matters like this all the time and he’s hugely supportive. Bertie Ahern is my man. Perhaps we could put his face on it, or Bono. Who knows?”
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Mr Crosbie got the idea when he visited Corpus, a similar project at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. He bought the licence and has got financial approval for the € 55 million project, which will now be submitted to Dublin City Council for planning permission.
Mr Crosbie said the Giant Man will be one of the centrepieces of the € 850 million Point Village which includes the refurbished and extended 14,000-seater Point theatre, reopening as the O2 in December.
“What the docks need most of all is people and we see this and the new O2 as a giant people-magnet. We want to move the centre of gravity of the city eastwards and down the river.
“We think it would be a phenomenal attraction for young people and there are just not enough tourist attractions in the city. I think we will be able to pull visitors into it in a way nearly to the extent that the Guinness Hop Stores does.”
Visitors will enter the giant’s brain through a lift to the 10th floor. They will then descend down the spinal cord, stopping off at all the major organs on the way to the feet. There will be screens at every turn with information on how the body works.
The project is supported by the Royal College of Surgeons. Its chief executive Michael Horgan said they were “delighted” to be associated with it. Trinity College provost Dr John Hegarty said it had the potential to capture the imagination of the public and “allow tangible interaction with the sciences”. It has also been endorsed by the Ireland Fund. Its chairman, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, said she was proud to be associated with it.
Mr Crosbie said the Giant Man could be built next year if planning permission is granted. He is confident a deal can be done with the council.
“My local councillor is Bertie Ahern – he advises me on matters like this all the time and he’s hugely supportive. Bertie Ahern is my man. Perhaps we could put his face on it, or Bono. Who knows?”
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
An Taisce finances back in black
THE FINANCIAL position of environmental charity An Taisce has moved into the black after a few difficult years.
In a report in advance of the charity’s annual general meeting at the end of the month, treasurer Eric Conroy gave details of a small surplus of €1,400 for the end of 2007, compared with losses of €18,000 in 2006 and €51,000 in 2005.
Mr Conroy said the surplus would have been €45,000 higher if planned funds from Government relating to planning work in 2007 had been received. He was confident confident the funds would be forthcoming shortly.
“We acknowledge with thanks that this addition to our funds results from increased State funding to the Environmental NGO Secretariat from the new Minister for the Environment John Gormley.”
The charity, which is 60 years old, experienced a fall in investment income, he said.
And income from the education unit, which includes the Green Schools programme and the Blue Flags beach scheme, dropped by €40,000 in 2007.
An Taisce wrote off €35,000 in project funding for the Booterstown Marsh in south Dublin, which had to be returned to the EU. Membership subscriptions went up in 2007 to over €88,000, from €67,700 in 2006. The increase was due in part to a failure to collect direct debits from 1,000 members in 2006.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
In a report in advance of the charity’s annual general meeting at the end of the month, treasurer Eric Conroy gave details of a small surplus of €1,400 for the end of 2007, compared with losses of €18,000 in 2006 and €51,000 in 2005.
Mr Conroy said the surplus would have been €45,000 higher if planned funds from Government relating to planning work in 2007 had been received. He was confident confident the funds would be forthcoming shortly.
“We acknowledge with thanks that this addition to our funds results from increased State funding to the Environmental NGO Secretariat from the new Minister for the Environment John Gormley.”
The charity, which is 60 years old, experienced a fall in investment income, he said.
And income from the education unit, which includes the Green Schools programme and the Blue Flags beach scheme, dropped by €40,000 in 2007.
An Taisce wrote off €35,000 in project funding for the Booterstown Marsh in south Dublin, which had to be returned to the EU. Membership subscriptions went up in 2007 to over €88,000, from €67,700 in 2006. The increase was due in part to a failure to collect direct debits from 1,000 members in 2006.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin could be a 'creative city' if we get rid of limiting mindsets
Successful, dynamic, exciting cities are ones that embrace diversity and openness and plan to meet people's real needs, rather than adhering to ideological positions, writes Kieran Rose .
IN THE Rise of the Creative Class , Richard Florida writes: "We live in a time of great promise. We have evolved economic and social systems that tap human creativity and turn it into economic value as never before. This in turn creates an unparalleled opportunity to raise our living standards, build a more humane and sustainable economy, and make our lives more complete."
Florida documents the centrality of creative industries and creative workers in the new economy and in global competitiveness; and how openness to diversity, especially in relation to gay people and people from diverse backgrounds and other countries, is critical to success.
Creative workers are those who add economic value through their creativity. They include scientists, engineers, designers, artists and those employed in knowledge-based industries. Increasingly, cities are drivers of national economies and are successful largely because creative people from around the world want to live there.
From his research, Florida found that people were drawn to places that were diverse, tolerant and open to new ideas. He writes of "creative ecosystems - habitats open to new people and ideas".
Places with a high concentration of gay people tend to have higher rates of innovation and economic growth. Florida is not arguing that gay people cause cities to be successful, but that our presence in large numbers is "an indicator of an underlying culture that's openminded and diverse", and thus conducive to creativity and attractive to creative workers. A place that welcomes gay people welcomes all kinds of people.
He quotes Bonnie Kahn, who writes: "A great city has two hallmarks: tolerance for strangers and intolerance for mediocrity."
The Florida approach links a wide range of issues such as globalisation, economic growth and prosperity, diversity and creativity, equality and social justice, planning and city-making. Economic success is key; it is fundamental to social success and should be welcomed for the life opportunities it offers. It is not to be decried, as it is by some; prosperity, it would seem, is good for them but dangerous for others.
Issues of social justice and equality are crucial. In a paper on educational disadvantage, Creating a Place for All in the Knowledge Economy and the Learning Society , John Sweeney, senior social policy analyst with the National Economic and Social Council, rebuts a negative mindset, among even the well-intentioned, that discounts Ireland's economic success. He argues that "our economic performance is much more part of the solution than part of the problem when it comes to ensuring a better quality of life for all".
Florida makes a related point when he says there is a huge reservoir of untapped creative potential that is being squandered because of social exclusion and argues that we must strive to tap the full creative capabilities of every single human being. Addressing these issues "is not only socially and morally just; it is an economic imperative for any society interested in long-term innovation and prosperity".
There are common themes across these issues: there are two mindsets, liberating or limiting.
The liberating mindset is characterised by embracing diversity; having high ambitions for a better quality of life for all; a confidence in our ability to deliver positive change; openness; flexibility; responsiveness to changed circumstances; and prioritising real people's lives over abstract ideological positions. This approach can deliver progress and optimise opportunities in all areas, whether social, economic or city-making.
The limiting or fearful mindset is characterised by being change-averse; having low ambitions; a lack of confidence; a resistance to diversity; and sacrificing ordinary people's life opportunities to a glorification of either a past that never was or a rigid ideological position.
Max Page's study of the redevelopment of New York touches on all of these issues, including diversity and immigration. He argues that in the battles over new buildings, demolition and planning lay "the fundamental tension between a celebration of the metropolis - its dynamism and diversity - and a profound nostalgia born of a fear for what the modern city portended".
Similar resistances are at work in Dublin today. Florida puts it well when he says new creative cities can emerge and surpass established players very quickly. He analyses how some cities lose out: "these cities are trapped by their past", in the culture and attitudes of a bygone age, and so innovation and growth shift to new places.
Florida brings together issues of economic growth, creativity, equality, diversity, social justice, planning and city-making in a challenging and productive way.
This approach provides a wide agenda for change that could involve a broad range of agencies in an alliance for progress. This could include central and local Government; planning authorities; trade-union and business interests; equality, social justice and community organisations; economic development agencies; private enterprises; and the development sector.
Peter Hall's Cities in Civilization analyses the evolution of creative cities such as Los Angeles, London, New York and others. He wonders where the next global creative city will be and concludes that it will be "a special kind of city, a city in economic and social flux with large numbers of new and young arrivals, mixing and merging into a new kind of society".
This sounds like Dublin. It could be Dublin, but only if we get rid of our limiting mindsets and are ambitious, open and determined to succeed.
Kieran Rose is chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, a board member of the Equality Authority, a member of the consultative panel of FuturesIreland, and a planner with Dublin City Council. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of any of these organisations.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
IN THE Rise of the Creative Class , Richard Florida writes: "We live in a time of great promise. We have evolved economic and social systems that tap human creativity and turn it into economic value as never before. This in turn creates an unparalleled opportunity to raise our living standards, build a more humane and sustainable economy, and make our lives more complete."
Florida documents the centrality of creative industries and creative workers in the new economy and in global competitiveness; and how openness to diversity, especially in relation to gay people and people from diverse backgrounds and other countries, is critical to success.
Creative workers are those who add economic value through their creativity. They include scientists, engineers, designers, artists and those employed in knowledge-based industries. Increasingly, cities are drivers of national economies and are successful largely because creative people from around the world want to live there.
From his research, Florida found that people were drawn to places that were diverse, tolerant and open to new ideas. He writes of "creative ecosystems - habitats open to new people and ideas".
Places with a high concentration of gay people tend to have higher rates of innovation and economic growth. Florida is not arguing that gay people cause cities to be successful, but that our presence in large numbers is "an indicator of an underlying culture that's openminded and diverse", and thus conducive to creativity and attractive to creative workers. A place that welcomes gay people welcomes all kinds of people.
He quotes Bonnie Kahn, who writes: "A great city has two hallmarks: tolerance for strangers and intolerance for mediocrity."
The Florida approach links a wide range of issues such as globalisation, economic growth and prosperity, diversity and creativity, equality and social justice, planning and city-making. Economic success is key; it is fundamental to social success and should be welcomed for the life opportunities it offers. It is not to be decried, as it is by some; prosperity, it would seem, is good for them but dangerous for others.
Issues of social justice and equality are crucial. In a paper on educational disadvantage, Creating a Place for All in the Knowledge Economy and the Learning Society , John Sweeney, senior social policy analyst with the National Economic and Social Council, rebuts a negative mindset, among even the well-intentioned, that discounts Ireland's economic success. He argues that "our economic performance is much more part of the solution than part of the problem when it comes to ensuring a better quality of life for all".
Florida makes a related point when he says there is a huge reservoir of untapped creative potential that is being squandered because of social exclusion and argues that we must strive to tap the full creative capabilities of every single human being. Addressing these issues "is not only socially and morally just; it is an economic imperative for any society interested in long-term innovation and prosperity".
There are common themes across these issues: there are two mindsets, liberating or limiting.
The liberating mindset is characterised by embracing diversity; having high ambitions for a better quality of life for all; a confidence in our ability to deliver positive change; openness; flexibility; responsiveness to changed circumstances; and prioritising real people's lives over abstract ideological positions. This approach can deliver progress and optimise opportunities in all areas, whether social, economic or city-making.
The limiting or fearful mindset is characterised by being change-averse; having low ambitions; a lack of confidence; a resistance to diversity; and sacrificing ordinary people's life opportunities to a glorification of either a past that never was or a rigid ideological position.
Max Page's study of the redevelopment of New York touches on all of these issues, including diversity and immigration. He argues that in the battles over new buildings, demolition and planning lay "the fundamental tension between a celebration of the metropolis - its dynamism and diversity - and a profound nostalgia born of a fear for what the modern city portended".
Similar resistances are at work in Dublin today. Florida puts it well when he says new creative cities can emerge and surpass established players very quickly. He analyses how some cities lose out: "these cities are trapped by their past", in the culture and attitudes of a bygone age, and so innovation and growth shift to new places.
Florida brings together issues of economic growth, creativity, equality, diversity, social justice, planning and city-making in a challenging and productive way.
This approach provides a wide agenda for change that could involve a broad range of agencies in an alliance for progress. This could include central and local Government; planning authorities; trade-union and business interests; equality, social justice and community organisations; economic development agencies; private enterprises; and the development sector.
Peter Hall's Cities in Civilization analyses the evolution of creative cities such as Los Angeles, London, New York and others. He wonders where the next global creative city will be and concludes that it will be "a special kind of city, a city in economic and social flux with large numbers of new and young arrivals, mixing and merging into a new kind of society".
This sounds like Dublin. It could be Dublin, but only if we get rid of our limiting mindsets and are ambitious, open and determined to succeed.
Kieran Rose is chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, a board member of the Equality Authority, a member of the consultative panel of FuturesIreland, and a planner with Dublin City Council. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of any of these organisations.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Treasury to build north Dublin golf resort
Construction is set to begin next January on a €300 million mixed-use scheme that will include 50 houses, a hotel and two golf courses, writes GRETCHEN FRIEMANN .
TREASURY HOLDINGS is in talks with two five-star hotel operators over the management of its planned 300-bedroom 'green' hotel at Milverton Demesne in North County Dublin.
Last week, Fingal County Council granted full planning permission for the €300 million mixed-use scheme which, in addition to the hotel, will feature two 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses, 50 houses, a tennis academy and stables.
Construction at the 467-acre site will begin next January with the completion set for the start of 2013.
Treasury Holdings and its joint partner in this venture, businessman and Malahide-based estate agent Brian O'Farrell, are using a company called Tamorbrick Ltd as a vehicle to develop the historic Milverton Demesne, which is located close to the M1 motorway and is within a 20-minute drive of Dublin airport.
The two partners recently locked horns when a dispute over the freehold interest of Northside shopping centre in Coolock wound up in the High Court.
An AIB trust company, BNY, and Ark Life Assurance Company brought the action against Treasury Holdings after it objected to a proposed €64 million deal with Mr O'Farrell's company, N1 Property Holdings.
BNY and Ark Life wanted to sell their majority stake to N1, but Treasury Holdings claimed that this move would breach a co-ownership agreement.
The international development company had a 21.4 per cent share in the property through its acquisition of Mr Peter Conlon's interest.
Although Mr Justice Frank Clarke ruled in favour of Treasury Holdings, the dispute was recently settled when N1 agreed to pay €100 million for the freehold and remaining leasehold interest.
Despite the steep price tag, Northside Shopping Centre represents a strategic purchase for Mr O'Farrell as it lies at the heart of his €1.2 billion plan to transform the previously neglected area into a new town centre.
Milverton Demesne, however, will be a very different development.
Aimed at the luxury end of the tourism and residential market, the estate will feature 30 upmarket homes and 20 tourist lodges, to be run by the five-star hotel operator.
Treasury Holdings is a seasoned player in this sector, having developed the Ritz Carlton Hotel at Powerscourt in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
The Milverton Demesne hotel will be even greater in scale, with 300 bedrooms and a conference centre - as well as a spa and health centre.
At this size the resort will be one of the largest in the state, but Brian Coppinger, the company's development manager, stressed that the scheme would have a minimal impact on wildlife and the environment.
"We've really followed eco-friendly design principles on this site, so the hotel will be constructed from carbon neutral concrete and it will be heated throughout by bio-mass boilers. We will also have a water recycling scheme where the grey water from the hotel will be pumped to the two golf courses as irrigation," he said.
While the development sector is largely short on green credentials, Treasury Holdings has, in recent years, adopted an increasingly environmentally friendly business strategy with construction underway on its €1.2 billion eco-city just north of China's financial capital, Shanghai. And there are reports that a similar project might be on the cards for Colombia.
But closer to home, the concern for Treasury Holdings and Mr O'Farrell might be the continuing upheaval on global money markets, which has played havoc with Irish property prices.
According to Mr Coppinger, this economic squeeze is likely to be resolved by the time the scheme is completed in 2013 and the "exclusive" three, four and five-bedroom homes are put on the market. "If they haven't, we're going to have much bigger worries on our hands than Milverton."
Henry J Lyons, the architecture firm responsible for Treasury Holdings' swish head office, Connaught House, at Burlington Road in Dublin, is designing the scheme, which was recently enlarged by 30 acres to accommodate the two 18-hole golf courses.
The Arnold Palmer-designed premier course will require club membership while his signature course will operate a pay and play policy. Both will be available to hotel guests.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
TREASURY HOLDINGS is in talks with two five-star hotel operators over the management of its planned 300-bedroom 'green' hotel at Milverton Demesne in North County Dublin.
Last week, Fingal County Council granted full planning permission for the €300 million mixed-use scheme which, in addition to the hotel, will feature two 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses, 50 houses, a tennis academy and stables.
Construction at the 467-acre site will begin next January with the completion set for the start of 2013.
Treasury Holdings and its joint partner in this venture, businessman and Malahide-based estate agent Brian O'Farrell, are using a company called Tamorbrick Ltd as a vehicle to develop the historic Milverton Demesne, which is located close to the M1 motorway and is within a 20-minute drive of Dublin airport.
The two partners recently locked horns when a dispute over the freehold interest of Northside shopping centre in Coolock wound up in the High Court.
An AIB trust company, BNY, and Ark Life Assurance Company brought the action against Treasury Holdings after it objected to a proposed €64 million deal with Mr O'Farrell's company, N1 Property Holdings.
BNY and Ark Life wanted to sell their majority stake to N1, but Treasury Holdings claimed that this move would breach a co-ownership agreement.
The international development company had a 21.4 per cent share in the property through its acquisition of Mr Peter Conlon's interest.
Although Mr Justice Frank Clarke ruled in favour of Treasury Holdings, the dispute was recently settled when N1 agreed to pay €100 million for the freehold and remaining leasehold interest.
Despite the steep price tag, Northside Shopping Centre represents a strategic purchase for Mr O'Farrell as it lies at the heart of his €1.2 billion plan to transform the previously neglected area into a new town centre.
Milverton Demesne, however, will be a very different development.
Aimed at the luxury end of the tourism and residential market, the estate will feature 30 upmarket homes and 20 tourist lodges, to be run by the five-star hotel operator.
Treasury Holdings is a seasoned player in this sector, having developed the Ritz Carlton Hotel at Powerscourt in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
The Milverton Demesne hotel will be even greater in scale, with 300 bedrooms and a conference centre - as well as a spa and health centre.
At this size the resort will be one of the largest in the state, but Brian Coppinger, the company's development manager, stressed that the scheme would have a minimal impact on wildlife and the environment.
"We've really followed eco-friendly design principles on this site, so the hotel will be constructed from carbon neutral concrete and it will be heated throughout by bio-mass boilers. We will also have a water recycling scheme where the grey water from the hotel will be pumped to the two golf courses as irrigation," he said.
While the development sector is largely short on green credentials, Treasury Holdings has, in recent years, adopted an increasingly environmentally friendly business strategy with construction underway on its €1.2 billion eco-city just north of China's financial capital, Shanghai. And there are reports that a similar project might be on the cards for Colombia.
But closer to home, the concern for Treasury Holdings and Mr O'Farrell might be the continuing upheaval on global money markets, which has played havoc with Irish property prices.
According to Mr Coppinger, this economic squeeze is likely to be resolved by the time the scheme is completed in 2013 and the "exclusive" three, four and five-bedroom homes are put on the market. "If they haven't, we're going to have much bigger worries on our hands than Milverton."
Henry J Lyons, the architecture firm responsible for Treasury Holdings' swish head office, Connaught House, at Burlington Road in Dublin, is designing the scheme, which was recently enlarged by 30 acres to accommodate the two 18-hole golf courses.
The Arnold Palmer-designed premier course will require club membership while his signature course will operate a pay and play policy. Both will be available to hotel guests.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
'No indication' Thornton Hall has stalled
THERE ARE "no indications" that the Thornton Hall prison project has stalled following the developer's withdrawal from five Dublin public private partnership (PPP) social housing schemes, the Dáil has heard.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen also said "no further suggestion has been made beyond those which are in the public domain", of projects at risk.
"The Thornton Hall project was a different PPP model, which relates to the building of a prison and a staged annualised payment thereafter and there has been no indication to me from the Minister for Justice that that project has been stalled."
He added that "we're not at the final process there yet. We're advanced in the process but it's not at a final stage."
Mr Cowen was being questioned by Labour leader Eamon Gilmore about the implications for the €900 million projects to regenerate St Michael's Estate, O'Devaney Gardens, Dominick Street, convent lands in Seán MacDermot Street, and Infirmary Road, following the decision by developer Bernard McNamara to pull out of the housing projects on the grounds that they were "unviable".
Mr Cowen said he had asked the Minister for the Environment to prepare a report for him based on Monday's developments.
Mr Gilmore said that "the same developer is the proposed builder of Thornton Hall. It was supposed to have been brought to the Dáil today and tomorrow for approval and I note that it has been withdrawn.
"What hope can you give those people that the regeneration will go ahead and what alternative arrangements are going to be put in place to ensure the regeneration proceeds as planned? Can you explain why the same developer was given the contract on all of those schemes?"
The Labour leader stressed that the "concept of PPP is not that it's a PPP when times are good. It should also be a PPP when times are tightening and it's not an arrangement whereby the public end takes all the risk and the private end pulls out when things get a bit more tricky".
Mr Cowen said members of the regeneration boards had a meeting with the city council on Monday and "there is a continuing commitment by the city council to prioritise the prospect for regeneration . . . which may involve obviously going to others who had expressed an interest in taking up PPP, and at that stage see if there is a prospect of any other involvement who may be able to proceed".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Taoiseach Brian Cowen also said "no further suggestion has been made beyond those which are in the public domain", of projects at risk.
"The Thornton Hall project was a different PPP model, which relates to the building of a prison and a staged annualised payment thereafter and there has been no indication to me from the Minister for Justice that that project has been stalled."
He added that "we're not at the final process there yet. We're advanced in the process but it's not at a final stage."
Mr Cowen was being questioned by Labour leader Eamon Gilmore about the implications for the €900 million projects to regenerate St Michael's Estate, O'Devaney Gardens, Dominick Street, convent lands in Seán MacDermot Street, and Infirmary Road, following the decision by developer Bernard McNamara to pull out of the housing projects on the grounds that they were "unviable".
Mr Cowen said he had asked the Minister for the Environment to prepare a report for him based on Monday's developments.
Mr Gilmore said that "the same developer is the proposed builder of Thornton Hall. It was supposed to have been brought to the Dáil today and tomorrow for approval and I note that it has been withdrawn.
"What hope can you give those people that the regeneration will go ahead and what alternative arrangements are going to be put in place to ensure the regeneration proceeds as planned? Can you explain why the same developer was given the contract on all of those schemes?"
The Labour leader stressed that the "concept of PPP is not that it's a PPP when times are good. It should also be a PPP when times are tightening and it's not an arrangement whereby the public end takes all the risk and the private end pulls out when things get a bit more tricky".
Mr Cowen said members of the regeneration boards had a meeting with the city council on Monday and "there is a continuing commitment by the city council to prioritise the prospect for regeneration . . . which may involve obviously going to others who had expressed an interest in taking up PPP, and at that stage see if there is a prospect of any other involvement who may be able to proceed".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Minister rejects 'buy-out' call for residents near new prison
THE MINISTER for Justice, Dermot Ahern, has said there are no proposals to introduce a “buy-out” scheme for home owners with properties near the controversial new “super-prison” at Thornton Hall in north Dublin.
He also rejected “any allegations of impropriety in the site selection process”, and said that he is “strongly of the view” that proceeding with the development at Thornton Hall is the best possible option. However, he noted that this was a matter for the Oireachtas to decide.
Mr Ahern was commenting after yesterday publishing details of a rapporteur’s report into the proposed Thornton Hall prison.
The rapporteur, James Farrelly, was appointed in July 2007 to outline the content of submissions from parties with an interest in the project during a six-week period.This concluded on April 11th last.
He received 130 separate submissions, from both individuals and groups. Mr Farrelly highlighted a wide range of concerns about the proposed new prison among those who participated in the process.
These included fears that the “value, saleability and appearance of residences and local businesses will be adversely affected by the existence of the prison”, and suggestions that residents affected in this manner “should have the option of being bought out or financially compensated”.
However, Mr Ahern said that there are “no proposals to introduce a buy-out scheme”.
Mr Ahern also said there were no plans to move high-risk prisoners such as terrorists to the site, and added that the cordon sanitaire around the prison meant it is “not feasible to try and launch drugs and other material over the perimeter wall to an area where prisoners have access”.
“There is no reason to believe that the development itself will result in local residents being more exposed to drug dealing or discarded drug-related paraphernalia,” he added.
Mr Ahern said the majority of local businesses should benefit from the development, but acknowledged that others “may be adversely affected”.
He said the new development had been “specifically designed to ensure a secure environment both along the perimeter as well as inside the development”, and noted that the R130 road will not be used during construction or operation of the prison.
Mr Ahern said the main purpose of the new facility, which is being designed to cater for 1,400 prisoners in single cells, is to replace the “substandard” prison accommodation in Mountjoy.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
He also rejected “any allegations of impropriety in the site selection process”, and said that he is “strongly of the view” that proceeding with the development at Thornton Hall is the best possible option. However, he noted that this was a matter for the Oireachtas to decide.
Mr Ahern was commenting after yesterday publishing details of a rapporteur’s report into the proposed Thornton Hall prison.
The rapporteur, James Farrelly, was appointed in July 2007 to outline the content of submissions from parties with an interest in the project during a six-week period.This concluded on April 11th last.
He received 130 separate submissions, from both individuals and groups. Mr Farrelly highlighted a wide range of concerns about the proposed new prison among those who participated in the process.
These included fears that the “value, saleability and appearance of residences and local businesses will be adversely affected by the existence of the prison”, and suggestions that residents affected in this manner “should have the option of being bought out or financially compensated”.
However, Mr Ahern said that there are “no proposals to introduce a buy-out scheme”.
Mr Ahern also said there were no plans to move high-risk prisoners such as terrorists to the site, and added that the cordon sanitaire around the prison meant it is “not feasible to try and launch drugs and other material over the perimeter wall to an area where prisoners have access”.
“There is no reason to believe that the development itself will result in local residents being more exposed to drug dealing or discarded drug-related paraphernalia,” he added.
Mr Ahern said the majority of local businesses should benefit from the development, but acknowledged that others “may be adversely affected”.
He said the new development had been “specifically designed to ensure a secure environment both along the perimeter as well as inside the development”, and noted that the R130 road will not be used during construction or operation of the prison.
Mr Ahern said the main purpose of the new facility, which is being designed to cater for 1,400 prisoners in single cells, is to replace the “substandard” prison accommodation in Mountjoy.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 8 May 2008
€60m development includes ‘long-awaited’ town park
A LONG-AWAITED town park is to be a feature of a €60 million residential and commercial development in the heart of Thurles.
The proposed three-acre park will include a playing area, walks and public seating by the River Suir.
Town mayor Michael Grogan said the town council had originally planned to acquire land for a new town park. But an opportunity arose through negotiations with developers that the park would be included as part of a significant new project.
Councillors voted on Monday night in favour of allowing a section 4 amendment to the existing Town Development Plan, clearing the way for the ambitious scheme.
Furthermore, as part of the agreement with developers HRS Partnership, €250,000 will also be provided for flood relief works on the Thomond Road and Cavanagh Place in Thurles.
The development proposal includes apartments and commercial units, as well as new links to the centre of Thurles.
Mr Grogan stated he was delighted that overburdened Thurles rate-payers had been saved the cost of purchasing the land for the much-needed park and that funding for flooding relief had been attained for areas at high risk.
Independent TD Mr Lowry said the inclusion of a town park in the development brought to an end the long wait for such a facility for Thurles. “I am delighted that it has finally come and it will be of great benefit to the people of the town,” he said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The proposed three-acre park will include a playing area, walks and public seating by the River Suir.
Town mayor Michael Grogan said the town council had originally planned to acquire land for a new town park. But an opportunity arose through negotiations with developers that the park would be included as part of a significant new project.
Councillors voted on Monday night in favour of allowing a section 4 amendment to the existing Town Development Plan, clearing the way for the ambitious scheme.
Furthermore, as part of the agreement with developers HRS Partnership, €250,000 will also be provided for flood relief works on the Thomond Road and Cavanagh Place in Thurles.
The development proposal includes apartments and commercial units, as well as new links to the centre of Thurles.
Mr Grogan stated he was delighted that overburdened Thurles rate-payers had been saved the cost of purchasing the land for the much-needed park and that funding for flooding relief had been attained for areas at high risk.
Independent TD Mr Lowry said the inclusion of a town park in the development brought to an end the long wait for such a facility for Thurles. “I am delighted that it has finally come and it will be of great benefit to the people of the town,” he said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 5 May 2008
National sports centre cost to rise after review
The proposed National Sports Campus at Abbotstown in Dublin is likely to cost significantly more than the €119 million originally forecast.
This figure is based on estimates from 2004, and the National Sports Campus Development Authority is reviewing the figure and assessing more accurate costings. It will then submit final proposals on the sports campus to the government.
The Sunday Business Post has learned that the architecture team for the first phase of the campus will be paid €8 million. The design team is made up of Faulkner Browns, a British architecture firm, and the Holohan Group, the Irish leisure company.
Project manager Davis Langton PKS, an Irish quality surveying and cost management company, will receive €2.5 million for their services.
Seamus Brennan, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, last week announced details of the first phase of the campus, which will include facilities for the GAA, the IRFU, the FAI and about 30other sports bodies.
The architects and the project managers will now begin a period of consultation with the various sporting governing bodies, before seeking formal planning permission for the stadium. Phase one is due to be completed within three to four years.
It will contain a national field sports training centre, a national indoor training centre and on-site accommodation for athletes. There will also be facilities for sports science, as well as 16 seven-a-side synthetic pitches for local clubs.
Brennan has also asked the National Sports Campus Development Authority to narrow down options for the facilities that will be included in phase two of the development.
He is also considering a request from Athletics Ireland to include a 200-metre indoor track.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
This figure is based on estimates from 2004, and the National Sports Campus Development Authority is reviewing the figure and assessing more accurate costings. It will then submit final proposals on the sports campus to the government.
The Sunday Business Post has learned that the architecture team for the first phase of the campus will be paid €8 million. The design team is made up of Faulkner Browns, a British architecture firm, and the Holohan Group, the Irish leisure company.
Project manager Davis Langton PKS, an Irish quality surveying and cost management company, will receive €2.5 million for their services.
Seamus Brennan, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, last week announced details of the first phase of the campus, which will include facilities for the GAA, the IRFU, the FAI and about 30other sports bodies.
The architects and the project managers will now begin a period of consultation with the various sporting governing bodies, before seeking formal planning permission for the stadium. Phase one is due to be completed within three to four years.
It will contain a national field sports training centre, a national indoor training centre and on-site accommodation for athletes. There will also be facilities for sports science, as well as 16 seven-a-side synthetic pitches for local clubs.
Brennan has also asked the National Sports Campus Development Authority to narrow down options for the facilities that will be included in phase two of the development.
He is also considering a request from Athletics Ireland to include a 200-metre indoor track.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 2 May 2008
"Bikes-for-Billboards" scheme exposes major planning flaws
It sounded like a fairytale, yet what was initially hailed as "free bikes" has become one of the biggest planning controversies to hit the capital in years.
The so-called "metropole" plan - whereby advertising company JC Decaux is to swap city advertising space for 450 bicycles has exposed major flaws in the capital's planning system - with elected representatives left out of a deal where they should have been instrumental.
Over the Christmas break of 2006/ 07, 70 applications were filed, followed by another 50 for billboards which are to be erected on public footpaths.
Remarkably, nobody seemed to tell the then Lord Mayor - or indeed the other councillors of this; this despite the requirement under section 183 of the Local Government Act which specifies that the release of public lands is a reserved function, necessitating a vote by councillors.
Yet councillors have not even been allowed to see the already-agreed contract, which officials describe as "commercially sensitive".
What councillors were told was that the non-cash deal was worth €85m to the city, although subsequently it has been claimed that the revenue generated by the billboards is only worth €1M per annum over the 15 year terms.
This scheme has been hit by a number of criticisms - chiefly that by virtue of a single project being split into 120 applications it was project-split and applied to an authority that had a vested interest in approving the scheme. Critics claimed that this meant that to comprehensively appeal the scheme to the Bord would have cost €30,000.
Fortunately for JC Decaux, all applications left with Dublin City Council were approved - with city planners staunchly defending the scheme and denying that there was any conflict of interest for the council to adjudicate on applications arising out of a scheme in which it has a vested interest. However some 24 units were appealed to An Bord Pleanála, resulting in two dozen successive hearings over three days in October - which an inspector herself described as "unprecedented".
Bizarrely the billboards all seem to have been earmarked for less well-healed areas; no application was lodged for Donnybrook, Ballsbridge, Sandymount, or Rathgar. Yet applications were made for Ringsend, Dorset Street, Coolock, and Fairview.
So how much are 120 billboards worth? Intriguingly it is claimed that the larger electronic billboards, displaying 3 different adverts, should each generate €8,000 per month - netting approximately €7M per annum, with the 50 smaller billboards making another €3M per annum. Hence over the 15 year terms the deal may have been worth €150 Million to JC Decaux.
So one estimate now puts each of the "free bikes" in the original deal at each costing the city over €300,000 in terms of foregone revenue. But that's not the only problem. In recommending that the Bord reject all units under appeal, Inspector Jane Dennihey reasoned that the applications were "premature".
One reason for her recommendation was the use by senior city planner of a map, entitled "Zones of Advertising Control", as now exclusively reproduced by Plan.
The hitch here is that councilors claim to have not even seen this map previously - never minded voted on it.
This throws suggests that key planning documents are being decided without any consultation with either the public or elected councillors, resulting in what An Taisce often calls as "rezonings without due process".
Notably the document is broken into areas that correspond with Dublin City Council Development Plan maps - yet equally notable is the absence of an official City Council stamp, or for that matter a date. So the question must be asked: who drew up the map? And by what authority? It is now being acted upon as if it were already adopted policy?
Now the Bord has rejected 18 of the 24 units, permitting some of the smaller bus-shelter size units in pedestrian areas - while refusing all of the larger "Metropole" units which were to be7 sq m and standing 2m off the ground - primarily on grounds of road safety.
The ratio of bikes yielded by billboards was less than 4 per unit, although in Paris JC Decaux provide 13 bikes per unit as well as an annual rental of €2,085 per billboard over 10 years - while Dublin gets no cash over 15 years.
Paris also rolled out a programme of putting in place an additional 300 kilometres of cycle-ways in advance of their scheme.
Intriguingly, the original deal required 75% of all applications to be passed for the scheme to go ahead. However, even though only 72 billboards are now permitted, the deal is still going ahead - and where JC Decaux was to remove 100 existing billboards, as stipulated in each planning permission, city planner Jim Keogan is now saying that only 50 are to be removed - a change which critics say is unlawful.
The units are already under construction although no rental bikes are expected until next spring - and the units are distinctly different from that which was illustrated in the applications, with brown metal mesh detailing replacing what appeared to be solid chrome stands.
Split applications, dubious rezoning maps, and the Bord rejecting all "Metropoles": to add to this the Dublin City Business Association has written to Minister John Gormley asking him "to investigate". The only question is what's next? It's over to you, Minister.
Ruadhán Mac Eoin
Planning Magazine
www.buckplanning.ie
The so-called "metropole" plan - whereby advertising company JC Decaux is to swap city advertising space for 450 bicycles has exposed major flaws in the capital's planning system - with elected representatives left out of a deal where they should have been instrumental.
Over the Christmas break of 2006/ 07, 70 applications were filed, followed by another 50 for billboards which are to be erected on public footpaths.
Remarkably, nobody seemed to tell the then Lord Mayor - or indeed the other councillors of this; this despite the requirement under section 183 of the Local Government Act which specifies that the release of public lands is a reserved function, necessitating a vote by councillors.
Yet councillors have not even been allowed to see the already-agreed contract, which officials describe as "commercially sensitive".
What councillors were told was that the non-cash deal was worth €85m to the city, although subsequently it has been claimed that the revenue generated by the billboards is only worth €1M per annum over the 15 year terms.
This scheme has been hit by a number of criticisms - chiefly that by virtue of a single project being split into 120 applications it was project-split and applied to an authority that had a vested interest in approving the scheme. Critics claimed that this meant that to comprehensively appeal the scheme to the Bord would have cost €30,000.
Fortunately for JC Decaux, all applications left with Dublin City Council were approved - with city planners staunchly defending the scheme and denying that there was any conflict of interest for the council to adjudicate on applications arising out of a scheme in which it has a vested interest. However some 24 units were appealed to An Bord Pleanála, resulting in two dozen successive hearings over three days in October - which an inspector herself described as "unprecedented".
Bizarrely the billboards all seem to have been earmarked for less well-healed areas; no application was lodged for Donnybrook, Ballsbridge, Sandymount, or Rathgar. Yet applications were made for Ringsend, Dorset Street, Coolock, and Fairview.
So how much are 120 billboards worth? Intriguingly it is claimed that the larger electronic billboards, displaying 3 different adverts, should each generate €8,000 per month - netting approximately €7M per annum, with the 50 smaller billboards making another €3M per annum. Hence over the 15 year terms the deal may have been worth €150 Million to JC Decaux.
So one estimate now puts each of the "free bikes" in the original deal at each costing the city over €300,000 in terms of foregone revenue. But that's not the only problem. In recommending that the Bord reject all units under appeal, Inspector Jane Dennihey reasoned that the applications were "premature".
One reason for her recommendation was the use by senior city planner of a map, entitled "Zones of Advertising Control", as now exclusively reproduced by Plan.
The hitch here is that councilors claim to have not even seen this map previously - never minded voted on it.
This throws suggests that key planning documents are being decided without any consultation with either the public or elected councillors, resulting in what An Taisce often calls as "rezonings without due process".
Notably the document is broken into areas that correspond with Dublin City Council Development Plan maps - yet equally notable is the absence of an official City Council stamp, or for that matter a date. So the question must be asked: who drew up the map? And by what authority? It is now being acted upon as if it were already adopted policy?
Now the Bord has rejected 18 of the 24 units, permitting some of the smaller bus-shelter size units in pedestrian areas - while refusing all of the larger "Metropole" units which were to be7 sq m and standing 2m off the ground - primarily on grounds of road safety.
The ratio of bikes yielded by billboards was less than 4 per unit, although in Paris JC Decaux provide 13 bikes per unit as well as an annual rental of €2,085 per billboard over 10 years - while Dublin gets no cash over 15 years.
Paris also rolled out a programme of putting in place an additional 300 kilometres of cycle-ways in advance of their scheme.
Intriguingly, the original deal required 75% of all applications to be passed for the scheme to go ahead. However, even though only 72 billboards are now permitted, the deal is still going ahead - and where JC Decaux was to remove 100 existing billboards, as stipulated in each planning permission, city planner Jim Keogan is now saying that only 50 are to be removed - a change which critics say is unlawful.
The units are already under construction although no rental bikes are expected until next spring - and the units are distinctly different from that which was illustrated in the applications, with brown metal mesh detailing replacing what appeared to be solid chrome stands.
Split applications, dubious rezoning maps, and the Bord rejecting all "Metropoles": to add to this the Dublin City Business Association has written to Minister John Gormley asking him "to investigate". The only question is what's next? It's over to you, Minister.
Ruadhán Mac Eoin
Planning Magazine
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Planning for a 'visionary urban development'
CAMPUS MASTER PLAN: THE GRANGEGORMAN project is a visionary urban development in the north inner city.
Led by the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) under the chairmanship of former Dublin city manager, John Fitzgerald, the project aims to combine the strategic objectives of the Dublin City Council development plan with DIT's drive for a world class campus and technology centre, the HSE's objectives for primary and community care, and the needs of the neighbourhood community for recreational amenity and educational development.
The development site (St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital) is situated to the north of Smithfield on Dublin's northside and extends to some 30 hectares of mostly open space. The circa 400,000sq m (4.305 million sq ft) of development is relatively low density but reflects the specific nature of the development - academic and healthcare - and also the high proportion of open amenity and recreational space which will be included in the development.
The master plan is still under preparation by Moore Ruble Yudell of California in association with DMOD Architects of Dublin. The GDA has engaged a team of advisors, including FGS and DLPKS and led by WK Nowlan Associates of Dublin, to prepare the strategic plan and manage the master plan and early development processes.
The master planners have outlined an emerging master plan proposition of six physical themes: two hearts, one academic and the other social/cultural in the north-west and south-east quadrants respectively; a major east-west pedestrian priority route (St Brendan's Way) weaving its way from Constitution Hill through the site towards Prussia Street; a series of green fingers reaching out from St Brendan's Way making pedestrian routes through the buildings and into the local area together with a major quadrangle at the academic heart looking south across to open playing fields; the connection with Constitution Hill at Broadstone Gate opposite King's Inns; the north-south pedestrian connection through the site linking Smithfield with the North Circular Road; and a contoured uplift in site levels elevating the academic campus above the playing fields and open spaces to the south.
For DIT the master plan will describe a 21st century campus for students incorporating cultural buildings, a business and technology park to be operated in association with DIT partnerships and academic programmes all stretching east-west through the site from Broadstone to Prussia Street.
For the HSE the master plan will set out a major healthcare complex, integrating with the DIT campus, and forming the North Circular Road frontage and entry point to the site.
A primary school and public library are proposed for the neighbouring community together with access to the new indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, landscaped gardens and children's play spaces. Housing for the elderly and daycare facilities are also planned.
The urban campus will be pedestrian priority and be open to the adjacent areas and will provide a high quality amenity environment for local people.
Gerry Murphy, GDA CEO says: "This is not just a campus it's a city quarter and the master plan will open the formerly closed hospital site to the city and add hugely to cultural, leisure and economic activity in this part of Dublin."
Peter Coyne is programme director for the Grangegorman WKN Consortium.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Led by the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) under the chairmanship of former Dublin city manager, John Fitzgerald, the project aims to combine the strategic objectives of the Dublin City Council development plan with DIT's drive for a world class campus and technology centre, the HSE's objectives for primary and community care, and the needs of the neighbourhood community for recreational amenity and educational development.
The development site (St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital) is situated to the north of Smithfield on Dublin's northside and extends to some 30 hectares of mostly open space. The circa 400,000sq m (4.305 million sq ft) of development is relatively low density but reflects the specific nature of the development - academic and healthcare - and also the high proportion of open amenity and recreational space which will be included in the development.
The master plan is still under preparation by Moore Ruble Yudell of California in association with DMOD Architects of Dublin. The GDA has engaged a team of advisors, including FGS and DLPKS and led by WK Nowlan Associates of Dublin, to prepare the strategic plan and manage the master plan and early development processes.
The master planners have outlined an emerging master plan proposition of six physical themes: two hearts, one academic and the other social/cultural in the north-west and south-east quadrants respectively; a major east-west pedestrian priority route (St Brendan's Way) weaving its way from Constitution Hill through the site towards Prussia Street; a series of green fingers reaching out from St Brendan's Way making pedestrian routes through the buildings and into the local area together with a major quadrangle at the academic heart looking south across to open playing fields; the connection with Constitution Hill at Broadstone Gate opposite King's Inns; the north-south pedestrian connection through the site linking Smithfield with the North Circular Road; and a contoured uplift in site levels elevating the academic campus above the playing fields and open spaces to the south.
For DIT the master plan will describe a 21st century campus for students incorporating cultural buildings, a business and technology park to be operated in association with DIT partnerships and academic programmes all stretching east-west through the site from Broadstone to Prussia Street.
For the HSE the master plan will set out a major healthcare complex, integrating with the DIT campus, and forming the North Circular Road frontage and entry point to the site.
A primary school and public library are proposed for the neighbouring community together with access to the new indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, landscaped gardens and children's play spaces. Housing for the elderly and daycare facilities are also planned.
The urban campus will be pedestrian priority and be open to the adjacent areas and will provide a high quality amenity environment for local people.
Gerry Murphy, GDA CEO says: "This is not just a campus it's a city quarter and the master plan will open the formerly closed hospital site to the city and add hugely to cultural, leisure and economic activity in this part of Dublin."
Peter Coyne is programme director for the Grangegorman WKN Consortium.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
€180m spent assembling 'Dublin Central' site
The 5.5-acre site for the 'Dublin Central' scheme between Upper O'Connell Street and Moore Street took over four-and-a-half years to complete and involved around 70 leaseholders and freeholders
PROPERTY DEVELOPER Joe O'Reilly of Chartered Land has spent in the region of €180 million assembling the 5.5-acre site for the proposed Dublin Central shopping, leisure and residential development between Upper O'Connell Street and Moore Street.
The €1.25 billion scheme - which includes two new pedestrian streets and three public squares - is easily the most spectacular project ever proposed for the city centre.
If, as expected, the plans are approved by the planners, it will add 65,000sq m (700,000sq ft) of retail space in the city centre. Another 37,160sq m (400,000sq ft) is planned by Arnotts for nearby Princes Street.
Most of the major retail schemes over the last 20 years have been along the M50 where around 232,250sq m (2.5 million sq ft) of new shopping space was built in locations such as Dundrum, Tallaght, Liffey Valley, Blanchardstown, Finglas and Clare Hall. The two huge schemes now planned for the Henry Street area will be seen as an attempt to tip the scales back in favour of the city centre.
The intricate task of assembling the vast site took more than four-and-a-half years to complete and involved around 70 leaseholders and freeholders. It is by far the largest development site pulled together in the inner city since the assembly of the site for the St Stephen's Green shopping centre. The biggest single part of the site, the former Carlton Cinema standing on about one acre, was acquired from Richard Quirke for a figure believed to be over €30 million.
A further €25 million is being spent on buying the Royal Dublin Hotel which accounts for about three-quarters of an acre. The property includes a period townhouse which is to be restored and preserved.
Dublin City Council, which has consistently supported Chartered Land's stunning vision for one of the most rundown inner city areas, sold the company a quarter-acre maintenance depot fronting on to O'Rahilly's Parade, off Parnell Street. The consideration was around €9 million.
The Office of Public Works took a different view, opting for a profit sharing arrangement with the developer in return for handing over two buildings at Upper O'Connell Street.
Under the agreement, the State will be guaranteed a minimum annual income of around €1 million. The final figure will depend on the overall rental roll from the scheme.
CIÉ and Dublin Bus also struck a deal, exchanging two buildings along O'Connell Street for 1,858sq m (20,000sq ft) of new offices over retail facilities in the new development. The two buildings owned by the transport companies are partially listed and stand on a site of about a quarter of an acre.
Traders leasing shops along Moore Street, including many immigrants, are being paid between €50,000 and €250,000 to vacate their premises while owners are getting anything from €750,000 to €2 million for their freehold interests.
And the pay-off did not stop there. O'Reilly also bought six adjoining retail buildings from 36 to 41 Henry Street which are to be demolished to make way for a grand entrance into the new shopping precinct.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
PROPERTY DEVELOPER Joe O'Reilly of Chartered Land has spent in the region of €180 million assembling the 5.5-acre site for the proposed Dublin Central shopping, leisure and residential development between Upper O'Connell Street and Moore Street.
The €1.25 billion scheme - which includes two new pedestrian streets and three public squares - is easily the most spectacular project ever proposed for the city centre.
If, as expected, the plans are approved by the planners, it will add 65,000sq m (700,000sq ft) of retail space in the city centre. Another 37,160sq m (400,000sq ft) is planned by Arnotts for nearby Princes Street.
Most of the major retail schemes over the last 20 years have been along the M50 where around 232,250sq m (2.5 million sq ft) of new shopping space was built in locations such as Dundrum, Tallaght, Liffey Valley, Blanchardstown, Finglas and Clare Hall. The two huge schemes now planned for the Henry Street area will be seen as an attempt to tip the scales back in favour of the city centre.
The intricate task of assembling the vast site took more than four-and-a-half years to complete and involved around 70 leaseholders and freeholders. It is by far the largest development site pulled together in the inner city since the assembly of the site for the St Stephen's Green shopping centre. The biggest single part of the site, the former Carlton Cinema standing on about one acre, was acquired from Richard Quirke for a figure believed to be over €30 million.
A further €25 million is being spent on buying the Royal Dublin Hotel which accounts for about three-quarters of an acre. The property includes a period townhouse which is to be restored and preserved.
Dublin City Council, which has consistently supported Chartered Land's stunning vision for one of the most rundown inner city areas, sold the company a quarter-acre maintenance depot fronting on to O'Rahilly's Parade, off Parnell Street. The consideration was around €9 million.
The Office of Public Works took a different view, opting for a profit sharing arrangement with the developer in return for handing over two buildings at Upper O'Connell Street.
Under the agreement, the State will be guaranteed a minimum annual income of around €1 million. The final figure will depend on the overall rental roll from the scheme.
CIÉ and Dublin Bus also struck a deal, exchanging two buildings along O'Connell Street for 1,858sq m (20,000sq ft) of new offices over retail facilities in the new development. The two buildings owned by the transport companies are partially listed and stand on a site of about a quarter of an acre.
Traders leasing shops along Moore Street, including many immigrants, are being paid between €50,000 and €250,000 to vacate their premises while owners are getting anything from €750,000 to €2 million for their freehold interests.
And the pay-off did not stop there. O'Reilly also bought six adjoining retail buildings from 36 to 41 Henry Street which are to be demolished to make way for a grand entrance into the new shopping precinct.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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