The planned €3.7bn Metro North line which will link Dublin city centre with the airport and Swords could end up costing €8bn to €9bn, take up to 10 years to complete and bring traffic to a virtual standstill, a business association warned last week.
"Based on past performance by Department of Transport on Luas red and green lines estimated at €400m – actual cost €800m and integrated ticketing now at €50m and no delivery on street – it is difficult for the business community to believe that a 'financial envelope' of €4bn will not become €8bn to €9bn to complete construction," the City Centre Business Association said in submission to the joint committee on transport report.
The association warned the current six-year timeframe for the project does not take into account the digging up of gas, telecom and electrical works which could see the project taking eight to 10 years to complete.
This will "seriously disrupt the city centre economy" with the loss of 4,000 jobs and a loss in taxes for the government of around €300m a year during construction, it said.
The association also warns plans to mine down eight storeys underneath O'Connell Street, D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street and parts of St Stephen's Green for such a lengthy period will effectively shut down the city centre.
Traffic speed in the city centre is estimated to drop from the current 12km/h to 1.5km/h during construction of the Metro, though traffic management is hoped to get that back up to 9km/h. But even if this is achieved, it will still represent a drop in city centre customers of 36.5m a year or €730m a year in business.
Though supportive of the Metro project, the association wants the government to "review" the project particularly in light of the rapidly deteriorating situation in the public finances.
"There is growing concern that the Metro North project as presently proposed is not serving the city," said the association.
Finance minister Brian Lenihan has ordered all departments to prioritise major capital projects while Taoiseach Brian Cowen told Eamon Gilmore that the government has made no decision to "drop or defer" the Metro project.
"Deputy Gilmore suggested that a decision had been made, or rather, he seemed to suggest that he had knowledge of a decision made to cancel Metro North and I clarified that that was not a correct perception," Cowen said in the Dáil earlier this month.
A spokesman for the Railway Procurement Agency said it had four preferred consortium lined up to design, build and run the Metro and is proceeding as planned. He said it would apply for a railway order/planning permission from An Bord Pleanála next month with a decision expected by next May.
While the government has already given the RPA the go ahead, the spokesman added the signing of irreversible contracts will only be made following cabinet approval.
Given the current timetable, this final decision will come before the cabinet this time next year by which time the economy may have picked up – or worsened.
Sunday Tribune
ww.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label dublin city centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dublin city centre. Show all posts
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Private car ban in city centre from next April
PLANS TO ban private cars from parts of Dublin City centre, including O'Connell Street, Westmoreland Street and College Green, should go ahead by next April, a key Oireachtas Transport Committee report will recommend today.
The proposals to allow only public transport into the central area by next year, as outlined by Transport Committee chairman Frank Fahey last May, had been expected to be postponed after strong opposition from city traders and members of Mr Fahey's own Oireachtas Committee.
Objections centred on claims that there are insufficient buses or other public transport in the area to support the ban. Objections also cited insufficient time to steer a proposed new bridge across the Liffey through the planning process, and that the proposed Samuel Beckett bridge at Macken Street will not be open before 2010.
The car ban was planned by the Dublin Transportation Office to coincide with the start of work on Metro North and the building of the city centre Luas link. While Metro North is not now expected to start until 2011, and the Luas works will not happen before that, it has been decided to recommend early 2009 as the start of the car ban.
The Irish Times understands the report will recommend a "bus gate" be established at College Green by next April, and that only buses, bicycles, taxis and other public service vehicles be allowed to access the central core area.
Efforts to contact Mr Fahey yesterday were unsuccessful, but he has previously insisted: "We are quite satisfied that the proposals within this report are possible and can be implemented."
The report recommends the acquisition by Dublin Bus of 350 new buses - to be leased from the private sector if not immediately available to buy.
The proposed Bailey bridge between Marlborough Street and Hawkins Street is to be reserved for public transport and will be replaced by a Luas bridge.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The proposals to allow only public transport into the central area by next year, as outlined by Transport Committee chairman Frank Fahey last May, had been expected to be postponed after strong opposition from city traders and members of Mr Fahey's own Oireachtas Committee.
Objections centred on claims that there are insufficient buses or other public transport in the area to support the ban. Objections also cited insufficient time to steer a proposed new bridge across the Liffey through the planning process, and that the proposed Samuel Beckett bridge at Macken Street will not be open before 2010.
The car ban was planned by the Dublin Transportation Office to coincide with the start of work on Metro North and the building of the city centre Luas link. While Metro North is not now expected to start until 2011, and the Luas works will not happen before that, it has been decided to recommend early 2009 as the start of the car ban.
The Irish Times understands the report will recommend a "bus gate" be established at College Green by next April, and that only buses, bicycles, taxis and other public service vehicles be allowed to access the central core area.
Efforts to contact Mr Fahey yesterday were unsuccessful, but he has previously insisted: "We are quite satisfied that the proposals within this report are possible and can be implemented."
The report recommends the acquisition by Dublin Bus of 350 new buses - to be leased from the private sector if not immediately available to buy.
The proposed Bailey bridge between Marlborough Street and Hawkins Street is to be reserved for public transport and will be replaced by a Luas bridge.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Civil service parking ban in city urged
SOME 60 per cent of cars parked in Dublin city centre’s shopping districts belong to civil servants, according to a study carried out by the Dublin City Business Association (DCBA).
The association has called for the scrapping of proposals for a city congestion charge and says civil servants should use public transport instead.
Tom Coffey, CEO of DCBA says traffic problems in the city centre would be solved if civil servants left their cars behind.
“If civil servants would use public transport instead of telling everyone else to use it we would see a drop in traffic congestion,” he said.
John Henry, chairman of the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) recently said a congestion charge could be considered as part of a new transport strategy for Dublin.
He also said traffic restrictions would be required prior to the construction of the Metro North line.
The DCBA study found that of the almost 22,000 parking spaces in the city, about 13,000 are used by civil servants, most of whom have free parking.
The figures show that 83,813 shoppers travel by car to the city centre, generally outside rush hour, every day and spend three times as much as those who use public transport.
Government income from city centre employment and business comes to €1.03 billion.
Mr Coffey said all parking for civil servants in Dublin 1 and Dublin 2 should be shut down and more QBCs and Luas lines be provided for commuters.
The city he said needs park and ride facilities at railway stations and QBC perimeters so that people commuting to work can leave their cars behind.
He said there were 22 car parks in the city centre frequented by driving shoppers who, according to DCBA research, travelled between 10am and 3.30pm and so did not add to congestion. He called for a move away from “persistent negative messages from the State sector” about avoiding the city centre. “Shoppers parking in the city centre paid €11 million a year in Vat on parking to the exchequer and the 4,000 rate-paying businesses contributed €1 billion.”
He said 80 per cent of shoppers who drive are women and they spend three times as much as those who visit the city on public transport.
“Public servants can’t distinguish between shoppers and commuters, it amounts to a public servant proposing that a woman should come shopping on a bicycle.” He called for a “rational debate” on the issue.
The DCBA has also called for parts of the Metro North plan to be reconsidered. Metro North will connect Swords to Dublin city centre via Dublin airport.
The 17km-long route will have underground stops at St Stephen’s Green, O’Connell Bridge, Parnell Square, the Mater hospital, Drumcondra, Griffith Avenue, Dublin City University, Ballymun and Dublin airport. Mr Coffey said plans to use a “cut and cover” process to mine in O’Connell Street, D’Olier Street and Westmoreland Street would have a detrimental effect on city centre businesses. If every business in the area lost one employee, 4,000 would lose their jobs, he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The association has called for the scrapping of proposals for a city congestion charge and says civil servants should use public transport instead.
Tom Coffey, CEO of DCBA says traffic problems in the city centre would be solved if civil servants left their cars behind.
“If civil servants would use public transport instead of telling everyone else to use it we would see a drop in traffic congestion,” he said.
John Henry, chairman of the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) recently said a congestion charge could be considered as part of a new transport strategy for Dublin.
He also said traffic restrictions would be required prior to the construction of the Metro North line.
The DCBA study found that of the almost 22,000 parking spaces in the city, about 13,000 are used by civil servants, most of whom have free parking.
The figures show that 83,813 shoppers travel by car to the city centre, generally outside rush hour, every day and spend three times as much as those who use public transport.
Government income from city centre employment and business comes to €1.03 billion.
Mr Coffey said all parking for civil servants in Dublin 1 and Dublin 2 should be shut down and more QBCs and Luas lines be provided for commuters.
The city he said needs park and ride facilities at railway stations and QBC perimeters so that people commuting to work can leave their cars behind.
He said there were 22 car parks in the city centre frequented by driving shoppers who, according to DCBA research, travelled between 10am and 3.30pm and so did not add to congestion. He called for a move away from “persistent negative messages from the State sector” about avoiding the city centre. “Shoppers parking in the city centre paid €11 million a year in Vat on parking to the exchequer and the 4,000 rate-paying businesses contributed €1 billion.”
He said 80 per cent of shoppers who drive are women and they spend three times as much as those who visit the city on public transport.
“Public servants can’t distinguish between shoppers and commuters, it amounts to a public servant proposing that a woman should come shopping on a bicycle.” He called for a “rational debate” on the issue.
The DCBA has also called for parts of the Metro North plan to be reconsidered. Metro North will connect Swords to Dublin city centre via Dublin airport.
The 17km-long route will have underground stops at St Stephen’s Green, O’Connell Bridge, Parnell Square, the Mater hospital, Drumcondra, Griffith Avenue, Dublin City University, Ballymun and Dublin airport. Mr Coffey said plans to use a “cut and cover” process to mine in O’Connell Street, D’Olier Street and Westmoreland Street would have a detrimental effect on city centre businesses. If every business in the area lost one employee, 4,000 would lose their jobs, he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 5 May 2008
Plans to make Dublin city centre car-free
Large areas of Dublin city centre could be closed to private traffic within a year under radical new proposals to tackle congestion.
The Joint Oireachtas transport committee has developed a draft report recommending that a number of key streets be prioritised for buses.
These include O’Connell, Dame and Westmoreland Streets along with College Green and the closures could be in place by next April.
Committee chairman Frank Fahey of Fianna Fail claimed the scheme was workable and that traffic management measures would be put in place.
“We decided bus transport, a reliable high frequency bus service can effectively deal with traffic congestion in Dublin in the short term,” he said.
“There will be traffic management measures put in place to ensure proper circulation.
“What we have put forward is a short term action plan to be implemented in 2008/2009, so that by next April this plan for traffic being banned would be put in place,” he told RTE radio.
Mr Fahey said drivers from Dublin Bus had addressed the Committee on the difficulties they face in getting through the capital’s clogged streets.
He added if the public was to be encouraged to use public transport bus priority measures must be established.
Traffic measures are to be put in place to help smooth the transition to a car-free zone, with the construction of two new bridges over the Liffey, one at Macken Street and another at either Hawkins Street or Marlborough Street.
A similar plan could be rolled out for Galway, Cork, Waterford and Limerick.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Joint Oireachtas transport committee has developed a draft report recommending that a number of key streets be prioritised for buses.
These include O’Connell, Dame and Westmoreland Streets along with College Green and the closures could be in place by next April.
Committee chairman Frank Fahey of Fianna Fail claimed the scheme was workable and that traffic management measures would be put in place.
“We decided bus transport, a reliable high frequency bus service can effectively deal with traffic congestion in Dublin in the short term,” he said.
“There will be traffic management measures put in place to ensure proper circulation.
“What we have put forward is a short term action plan to be implemented in 2008/2009, so that by next April this plan for traffic being banned would be put in place,” he told RTE radio.
Mr Fahey said drivers from Dublin Bus had addressed the Committee on the difficulties they face in getting through the capital’s clogged streets.
He added if the public was to be encouraged to use public transport bus priority measures must be established.
Traffic measures are to be put in place to help smooth the transition to a car-free zone, with the construction of two new bridges over the Liffey, one at Macken Street and another at either Hawkins Street or Marlborough Street.
A similar plan could be rolled out for Galway, Cork, Waterford and Limerick.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Traffic ban proposed for Dublin city centre
Parts of Dublin city centre could be closed to traffic within 12 months, under a radical plan to tackle the capital’s congestion problem.
Under the new bus strategy, from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, a ‘‘bus gate’’ would be created at College Green by April 2009. This would lead to private traffic being banned from O’Connell Street , Dame Street, College Green and Westmoreland Street.
Two temporary steel bridges would be erected at Macken Street and Hawkins Street or Marlborough Street, to ensure a traffic flow. Dublin City Council has told the committee that such bridges could be lifted into place within three months, with bus priority lanes created.
The Sunday Business Post also understands that 350 new buses would be subcontracted from the private sector. And some routes currently serviced by both Dublin Bus and the private sector would be given exclusively to the private sector.
The bus strategy, which was passed by the 15-member committee last Thursday, will be finalised next week, before it is presented to transport minister Noel Dempsey. Other proposals in the report include:
* increasing cash fares to encourage use of a smartcard, which Dublin Bus said it could introduce by December
* extending Railway Order legislation to include Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs)
* allowing buses and taxis to use the port tunnel at a reduced rate
* converting some motorway hard shoulders to QBCs.
The aim of the bus strategy is to increase, from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, the number of commuters who travel to the city by bus.
A major marketing campaign of bus transport would be required to reverse the current trend, according to the draft strategy, and increase passengers from 148 million to 200 million.
The Dublin Transport Office is envisaged to have a role in the introduction of workplace travel plans to all city centre private and public employers, as part of any such campaign.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Under the new bus strategy, from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, a ‘‘bus gate’’ would be created at College Green by April 2009. This would lead to private traffic being banned from O’Connell Street , Dame Street, College Green and Westmoreland Street.
Two temporary steel bridges would be erected at Macken Street and Hawkins Street or Marlborough Street, to ensure a traffic flow. Dublin City Council has told the committee that such bridges could be lifted into place within three months, with bus priority lanes created.
The Sunday Business Post also understands that 350 new buses would be subcontracted from the private sector. And some routes currently serviced by both Dublin Bus and the private sector would be given exclusively to the private sector.
The bus strategy, which was passed by the 15-member committee last Thursday, will be finalised next week, before it is presented to transport minister Noel Dempsey. Other proposals in the report include:
* increasing cash fares to encourage use of a smartcard, which Dublin Bus said it could introduce by December
* extending Railway Order legislation to include Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs)
* allowing buses and taxis to use the port tunnel at a reduced rate
* converting some motorway hard shoulders to QBCs.
The aim of the bus strategy is to increase, from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, the number of commuters who travel to the city by bus.
A major marketing campaign of bus transport would be required to reverse the current trend, according to the draft strategy, and increase passengers from 148 million to 200 million.
The Dublin Transport Office is envisaged to have a role in the introduction of workplace travel plans to all city centre private and public employers, as part of any such campaign.
Sunday Business Post
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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