The planning scheme for the Grand Canal Basin as part of the Dublin Docklands development was given the go-ahead by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Noel Dempsey today.
The approval clears the way for the Development Authority to proceed with a key element of the master plan for the docklands.
The area covered is 38.2 hectares (94.4 acres) and is the largest area to be covered by the scheme since the development began in the 1980s. It is also the first time that a planning scheme has been prepared for an area on the south side of the River Liffey.
The area is dominated by the canal basins contrasting with the warehouses, grain silos and redundant gasworks on the docksides. The established residential communities of Ringsend and Pearse Street are situated to the east and west.
Mr Dempsey said: "The planning scheme approach will facilitate in a coherent, integrated and accelerated fashion the development of the Grand Canal Basin."