The once-notorious "Monto" area of Dublin is to be redeveloped to provide the largest dance centre in Ireland as a key element of a £600 million renewal plan for the north-east inner city.
But the scheme, due to be announced tomorrow by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is not intended to be a northside version of Temple Bar, according to its project manager, Mr Paul Maloney.
The arts-led element will be largely confined to Corporation Street, which is to be renamed James Joyce Street, whereas some 12 cultural centres are dispersed throughout the Temple Bar area.
Mr Maloney said Dublin Corporation hoped to attract a large number of owner-occupiers to live in the north-east inner city. "One thing we're very specific about is that super-pubs will not be entertained here", he added.
Apart from tax incentives on some designated sites throughout the 44-acre area, he said, few other parts of Dublin could offer a similar level of accessibility because it would have DART, Luas, suburban rail and bus services.
The proposed arts centre, earmarked for part of an existing public park at the junction of Corporation Street and Foley Street, has the support of the Arts Council and will be developed through a public-private partnership. Currently, the area is the most deprived of central Dublin, with high levels of unemployment, early school-leaving, illiteracy and lone parents. Its only major cultural facility is the Fire Station Studio in Buckingham Street.
Another flagship project, costing an estimated £15 million, will be a new community centre. This is likely to include a swimming pool and an all-weather playing pitch as part of a wider leisure centre complex for local people.
The aim of the renewal programme is to achieve a "radical overhaul" of the social, cultural, environmental and business prospects of the area mainly by bringing in new businesses, shops, enterprise units, offices and private housing. Some £60 million will also be invested in replacing or refurbishing existing corporation flats in the area, a total of 500 units. Those scheduled for demolition are to be replaced by new own-door duplex housing.
Details of the plan were outlined yesterday to developers, estate agents and other business people who were mainly interested in finding out about the lucrative tax incentives available for approved schemes on 34 designated sites.
Major developments under way include an £8 million office block for Bord Gais Eireann on Foley Street and a £5 million mixed-use scheme in Talbot Street, which will provide more offices, an enterprise centre and 50 apartments.
Mr Maloney said the corporation was now proposing to rezone large parts of the core of the area to attract further private investment. And while higher-density development would be encouraged, "we're not talking about high-rise".
Tomorrow the Taoiseach will formally inaugurate the plan when he officially opens a new "one-stop shop" for all Dublin Corporation services in Sean MacDermott Street, once a virtual "no-go area".
