The most expensive site in the history of the state, the €412m Irish Glass Bottle site, could ultimately be used to house up to 1,000 third-level students.
The owners of the site in Poolbeg, Dublin, are understood to have expressed an interest in providing about 1,000 bed spaces in student residences for Trinity College Dublin (TCD) on part of the site. The site is owned by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA), developer Bernard McNamara and retired property syndicator Derek Quinlan.
The site is facing a hefty writedown in value in the coming weeks after land prices fell 70% in the downturn. In addition, Bernard McNamara and his company Donatex are suing the DDDA in relation to interest payments on the site, where about €30m has been spent on decontamination. The first phase of the South Wharf site is to include one million square feet of office space and about 1,250 apartments.
TCD had initially signalled that it was looking for 1,000 student residential units by September 2010, and possibly as many as 3,500 by 2020.
However, when the tender was published it was changed to 1,000 bed spaces. A spokeswoman for Trinity College said "there has been a substantial response and the submissions are currently being evaluated".
The sites submitted must be located within a 30-minute peak-time commute of the college by a frequent public-transport system. Alternatively it must be located within 2.5km of TCD's campus.
In addition, each site should be large enough to accommodate a minimum of 350 student bed spaces unless they are within 500 metres of the main campus or the Trinity Hall student residences in Dartry, south Dublin. In that case the minimum requirement for the site reduces to 150 bed spaces.
The university may require the successful bidder to design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM) the new accommodation and associated facilities. "The project may also include the supply of a site or a site and existing buildings and the provision of finance for the proposed solution," the tender stated. The university is also considering using the DBOM with its own sites but this is unlikely to happen unless there are insufficient qualified candidates for the other options.
McNamara has built a number of the buildings within TCD's campus.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label poolbeg development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poolbeg development. Show all posts
Monday, 21 September 2009
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Council's 12-year battle to build plant in Poolbeg
FIRST proposed more than a decade ago in 1996, it's been a long-running battle for Dublin City Council to get its incinerator built on the Poolbeg Peninsula in the heart of the city.
First proposed in the Dublin Regional Waste Management Strategy, incineration became council policy after being adopted by members in 1997 and since then officials have gone through two lengthy public hearings -- one concerned with planning, and the other with the environmental effects of the plant -- before one of the final hurdles was crossed yesterday.
In granting permission, the Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the council enter the final stage of delivering the plant, estimated to cost €266m.
There are still two more licences to be secured -- one from Eirgrid which will allow the council export electricity to the national grid, and the second from the Commission from Energy Regulation which must issue "authorisation to construct".
But the battle is not yet over, if Environment Minister John Gormley has his way.
Yesterday he said that a review of best practice in handling waste -- which will be completed by next summer -- could lead to changes in how local authorities dispose of their rubbish and which could make the incinerator a white elephant.
He has a number of proposals which could see waste not going for incineration.
The best way to dispose of waste is outlined in the 'waste hierarchy'. At the top of the pile is prevention.
At the bottom is sending waste to landfill. Incineration -- or waste-to-energy which burns waste to produce electricity -- is preferable to landfilling.
But Mr Gormley wants waste to go through a process called mechanical and biological treatment -- which is higher up the waste hierarchy than incineration -- which would see black bin household waste separated into recyclable components and the rest composted where methane is produced, and from which electricity can be produced.
Mr Gormley is also considering placing a cap on the amount of waste that can be sent for incineration, and is looking at introducing a levy on incineration -- where waste companies would be obliged to pay to burn rubbish.
The waste review will not be completed until the summer and the city council is unlikely to begin construction works before then.
In just six months, the whole waste landscape may have changed and the incinerator could be put on the back burner.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
First proposed in the Dublin Regional Waste Management Strategy, incineration became council policy after being adopted by members in 1997 and since then officials have gone through two lengthy public hearings -- one concerned with planning, and the other with the environmental effects of the plant -- before one of the final hurdles was crossed yesterday.
In granting permission, the Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the council enter the final stage of delivering the plant, estimated to cost €266m.
There are still two more licences to be secured -- one from Eirgrid which will allow the council export electricity to the national grid, and the second from the Commission from Energy Regulation which must issue "authorisation to construct".
But the battle is not yet over, if Environment Minister John Gormley has his way.
Yesterday he said that a review of best practice in handling waste -- which will be completed by next summer -- could lead to changes in how local authorities dispose of their rubbish and which could make the incinerator a white elephant.
He has a number of proposals which could see waste not going for incineration.
The best way to dispose of waste is outlined in the 'waste hierarchy'. At the top of the pile is prevention.
At the bottom is sending waste to landfill. Incineration -- or waste-to-energy which burns waste to produce electricity -- is preferable to landfilling.
But Mr Gormley wants waste to go through a process called mechanical and biological treatment -- which is higher up the waste hierarchy than incineration -- which would see black bin household waste separated into recyclable components and the rest composted where methane is produced, and from which electricity can be produced.
Mr Gormley is also considering placing a cap on the amount of waste that can be sent for incineration, and is looking at introducing a levy on incineration -- where waste companies would be obliged to pay to burn rubbish.
The waste review will not be completed until the summer and the city council is unlikely to begin construction works before then.
In just six months, the whole waste landscape may have changed and the incinerator could be put on the back burner.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
FG attack Gormley over u-turn on incineration
ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley was under pressure from Opposition TDs last night over the Green Party's u-turn on incineration since it went into Government.
Proposing a Fine Gael Dail motion against the building of an incinerator at Poolbeg, Dublin, Fergus O'Dowd said Mr Gormley was before them "in his most brazen act of duplicity" in opposing the motion which stated there was no electoral mandate for an incinerator. Mr O'Dowd said only last year Mr Gormley had presented in the Dail a "well-thought out, well presented Green Party motion that attacked incineration".
"Your cop-out is spectacular and has sold your voters and all those in and near Poolbeg, down the river," Mr O'Dowd said to the minister. Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton said the minister's silence on the issue was "deafening".
She said he had shied away from the issue when he negotiated the Programme for Government and since then he had sheepishly avoided it.
Mr Gormley pointed out that he lives in Ringsend with his family and his position as a public representative for Dublin South East and as a resident in regard to the project was "well known, entirely consistent and second to none".
However, he said he was Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and in that capacity he had to act under and be respectful of, restrictions placed on him by primary legislation, enacted by the Oireachtas. There was very clear limitation of the ministers' power under the planning and development act, he said. In light of that, it would not be appropriate for the minister to comment or interfere with the case regarding the incinerator which is before An Bord Pleanala and the Opposition knew that, Mr Gormley said.
He said the Green Party had opposed incinerators. "Unlike other parties his words have been matched by actions," said Green Junior Minister Trevor Sargent, reminding the House that Mr Gormley had been taken to court for his opposition to incineration.
Geraldine Collins
Irish Independent
Proposing a Fine Gael Dail motion against the building of an incinerator at Poolbeg, Dublin, Fergus O'Dowd said Mr Gormley was before them "in his most brazen act of duplicity" in opposing the motion which stated there was no electoral mandate for an incinerator. Mr O'Dowd said only last year Mr Gormley had presented in the Dail a "well-thought out, well presented Green Party motion that attacked incineration".
"Your cop-out is spectacular and has sold your voters and all those in and near Poolbeg, down the river," Mr O'Dowd said to the minister. Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton said the minister's silence on the issue was "deafening".
She said he had shied away from the issue when he negotiated the Programme for Government and since then he had sheepishly avoided it.
Mr Gormley pointed out that he lives in Ringsend with his family and his position as a public representative for Dublin South East and as a resident in regard to the project was "well known, entirely consistent and second to none".
However, he said he was Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and in that capacity he had to act under and be respectful of, restrictions placed on him by primary legislation, enacted by the Oireachtas. There was very clear limitation of the ministers' power under the planning and development act, he said. In light of that, it would not be appropriate for the minister to comment or interfere with the case regarding the incinerator which is before An Bord Pleanala and the Opposition knew that, Mr Gormley said.
He said the Green Party had opposed incinerators. "Unlike other parties his words have been matched by actions," said Green Junior Minister Trevor Sargent, reminding the House that Mr Gormley had been taken to court for his opposition to incineration.
Geraldine Collins
Irish Independent
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
ESB's 500m Poolbeg site may be given to rival firm
THE site of the ESB's three thermal units at Poolbeg in Dublin's ddocklands, which are due to be decommissioned in 2010, looks set to be handed over to one of the state power company's competitors, even though sources indicate it could be worth over 500m.
An ESB spokesman confirmed that, under its decommissioning deal with the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), the site would be provided to independent generators, which precluded any other uses of the site. He said the land could be simply handed over or the independent generators might be asked to pay a nominal rent.
The revelation will surprise many in the property business who believe the site has considerable potential for commercial, residential or retail development.
Sources indicate that the land could easily achieve a price of 8m per acre if it were put up for sale. A precise value for the entire site is difficult to estimate, however, because the ESB has refused to disclose how much of the 90-acre campus it has to keep for the continued operation of its remaining power plant there.
One source said his only concern was the site's proximity to the proposed Poolbeg incinerator.
"If you were trying to sell swanky apartments and the view from the window was a plume of smoke from the incinerator, that would be a problem, " he said. "But even with the incinerator, it could still work as an office and retail development."
Sources close to the ESB have claimed that the Poolbeg site, even after decommissioning, would be too contaminated for use as anything other than an industrial site and that it would be impossible to rezone the land.
However, industrial decontamination expert Michael Cunningham, managing director of White Young Green Ireland environment, said all sites could be decontaminated.
White Young Green has carried out decontamination work at high-profile sites including the Gasometer at Dublin's Barrow Street and numerous docklands areas in Dublin.
"You can remediate any site. What generally happens in cities is that the material for the basement is excavated and shipped overseas for treatment while the remainder is treated on-site, " he said.
He said the decontamination and reuse of old industrial sites tended to be the preferred option.
"That would be the policy in most developed countries: the first option for development you look at is brownfield sites."
A spokesman for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) confirmed that the Poolbeg site would continue to be used for power generation but he said it was too early to say how it would be transferred to the private sector.
"I think the purchase of the sites would be the most satisfactory outcome but if someone was willing to just pay rent, we would have no problem with that, " he said.
He was unable to say, however, whether the land would be sold at market value or at a nominal value decided by the regulator.
COMMENT
THE coming fight over Poolbeg's future is part of a fight about the character of Ireland's capital city.
Replacing the ESB's industrial age eyesore with something fit for human habitation is desirable.
New environment minister John Gormley and energy minister Eamon Ryan should be well-suited to this task once they get their feet under their desks.
But for all its ugliness, the Poolbeg site is familiar and distinctive. With the news that Guinness will abandon its ancestral home at St James's Gate, there is a risk that both sites will become homes for more glass and steel boxes indistinct from apartments and offices in any other city in the world. Dublin deserves better.
Tribune Business
An ESB spokesman confirmed that, under its decommissioning deal with the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), the site would be provided to independent generators, which precluded any other uses of the site. He said the land could be simply handed over or the independent generators might be asked to pay a nominal rent.
The revelation will surprise many in the property business who believe the site has considerable potential for commercial, residential or retail development.
Sources indicate that the land could easily achieve a price of 8m per acre if it were put up for sale. A precise value for the entire site is difficult to estimate, however, because the ESB has refused to disclose how much of the 90-acre campus it has to keep for the continued operation of its remaining power plant there.
One source said his only concern was the site's proximity to the proposed Poolbeg incinerator.
"If you were trying to sell swanky apartments and the view from the window was a plume of smoke from the incinerator, that would be a problem, " he said. "But even with the incinerator, it could still work as an office and retail development."
Sources close to the ESB have claimed that the Poolbeg site, even after decommissioning, would be too contaminated for use as anything other than an industrial site and that it would be impossible to rezone the land.
However, industrial decontamination expert Michael Cunningham, managing director of White Young Green Ireland environment, said all sites could be decontaminated.
White Young Green has carried out decontamination work at high-profile sites including the Gasometer at Dublin's Barrow Street and numerous docklands areas in Dublin.
"You can remediate any site. What generally happens in cities is that the material for the basement is excavated and shipped overseas for treatment while the remainder is treated on-site, " he said.
He said the decontamination and reuse of old industrial sites tended to be the preferred option.
"That would be the policy in most developed countries: the first option for development you look at is brownfield sites."
A spokesman for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) confirmed that the Poolbeg site would continue to be used for power generation but he said it was too early to say how it would be transferred to the private sector.
"I think the purchase of the sites would be the most satisfactory outcome but if someone was willing to just pay rent, we would have no problem with that, " he said.
He was unable to say, however, whether the land would be sold at market value or at a nominal value decided by the regulator.
COMMENT
THE coming fight over Poolbeg's future is part of a fight about the character of Ireland's capital city.
Replacing the ESB's industrial age eyesore with something fit for human habitation is desirable.
New environment minister John Gormley and energy minister Eamon Ryan should be well-suited to this task once they get their feet under their desks.
But for all its ugliness, the Poolbeg site is familiar and distinctive. With the news that Guinness will abandon its ancestral home at St James's Gate, there is a risk that both sites will become homes for more glass and steel boxes indistinct from apartments and offices in any other city in the world. Dublin deserves better.
Tribune Business
Friday, 23 March 2007
'Family-friendly' site borders on city's planned incinerator
HUNDREDS of "social and affordable" houses are to be built on Dublin's Poolbeg Peninsula near the site of the proposed incinerator.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority is to begin working on a masterplan to redevelop 100 acres of Ringsend. It promises to provide a "family-friendly living environment".
Yesterday it sought permission from Environment Minister Dick Roche to prepare a planning scheme for the area, which will include the redevelopment of the 25-acre Irish Glass Bottle site.
It bought the site, along with the property developer Bernard McNamara, earlier this year for €412m.
Chief executive Paul Maloney said a co-ordinated approach to developing the "uniquely situated" site was urgently required.
"The proposed planning scheme for the Poolbeg Peninsula will create a unique opportunity to develop the area in a way that delivers sustainable mixed-use development, while at the same time preserving the natural heritage and developing amenities," he said.
"We are particularly anxious to maximise potential for social and affordable housing and to provide a family friendly living environment."
The site is close to the proposed Poolbeg incinerator which will be the subject of a public hearing by An Bord Pleanala next month.
Paul Melia
Irish Indo'
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority is to begin working on a masterplan to redevelop 100 acres of Ringsend. It promises to provide a "family-friendly living environment".
Yesterday it sought permission from Environment Minister Dick Roche to prepare a planning scheme for the area, which will include the redevelopment of the 25-acre Irish Glass Bottle site.
It bought the site, along with the property developer Bernard McNamara, earlier this year for €412m.
Chief executive Paul Maloney said a co-ordinated approach to developing the "uniquely situated" site was urgently required.
"The proposed planning scheme for the Poolbeg Peninsula will create a unique opportunity to develop the area in a way that delivers sustainable mixed-use development, while at the same time preserving the natural heritage and developing amenities," he said.
"We are particularly anxious to maximise potential for social and affordable housing and to provide a family friendly living environment."
The site is close to the proposed Poolbeg incinerator which will be the subject of a public hearing by An Bord Pleanala next month.
Paul Melia
Irish Indo'
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