Developer Johnny Ronan has secured planning permission for a major office block scheme overlooking the river Liffey.
The scheme will see the development of four office blocks, ranging in height from five to nine storeys, on a site between North Wall Quay and Mayor Street Upper. When complete, they will provide 66,718sq m of office space in the city centre.
The commercial scheme approved forms part of the wider Waterfront South Central scheme, where the developer's Ronan Group hopes to build more than 1,000 homes. The development will also feature retail spaces and a gallery/exhibition space.
Ronan Group had sought permission for two residential towers of 44 and 45 storeys at the Waterfront South Central development but these were rejected by An Bórd Pleanála, which said it was bound by a previous court ruling involving another of the group’s current riverside developments, Salesforce tower.
Sustainable
The Ronan Group said the office scheme would meet the highest platinum rating on the leadership in energy and environmental design (Leed) rating system. This measures the efficiency of a building’s design and operation and covers areas such as sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation in design process and regional priority.
There will be 570 bicycle parking spaces available at the scheme, the group said, in addition to a new western pedestrian walkway linking Castleforbes Road with North Wall Quay. The office blocks will feature a number of external terraces and a roof-level terrace.
Rory Williams, chief executive at Ronan Group, welcomed the approval for the scheme.
“This exciting commercial project will see the development of some of the most enviable office spaces in Dublin city,” he said. “Ronan Group has a vision for modern living and working spaces that are built to meet and exceed the demands of the world’s most dynamic and forward-thinking occupiers.
“We believe Waterfront South Central will lead the way in responding to Dublin’s future needs.”
He said the buildings’ amenities – including the roof terraces and exhibition space – will be open to the wider community as well as workers occupying the building.
Ronan Group is currently developing the Salesforce tower at Spencer Place where it has been frustrated in efforts to increase the height of the tower to 13 stories. The company is also building the new Facebook EMEA headquarters in Ballsbridge, which will be home to more than 8,000 employees.
And, with Nama, Lioncor and Oaktree Capital Management, Ronan Group is also planning to develop the Glass Bottle site in Ringsend, which could accommodate up to 3,800 homes.
