More than half-a-million square metres of commercial property has been designated for development and up to 7,500 houses are to be built under a multi-billion euro urban redevelopment strategy, announced yesterday by Dublin City Council. Olivia Kelly reports.
The area surrounding Heuston Station, the markets district between Capel Street and Church Street, and Poolbeg in Ringsend are to undergo extensive regeneration in a 15-year project through the council's new "Framework Plans".
While these areas had been earmarked for redevelopment, the extent of commercial and housing space to come online and of the investment involved have just been finalised by the council.
The bulk of housing and office space will be located in the Heuston and Poolbeg areas, with the traditional fruit and vegetable markets, some of which had degenerated into "undesirable uses" according to city manager John Fitzgerald, being moved to M50 sites to make way for new "quality" markets serving the public.
The "Framework Plans" are the latest in the council's attempts to rejuvenate rundown city areas and correct the planning errors of previous decades. They follow on from the council's Integrated Area Plans (IAPs) launched seven years ago to transform some of the most neglected parts of the city including Cork Street, Inchicore, Smithfield, and the northeast inner city. The new strategies will force developers to match their plans to the council's vision for the particular areas, Mr Fitzgerald said.
"We want developers to come to us with proposals that will fit in with the 'Framework Plans'. What we don't want is piecemeal, ad hoc development."
The largest development will surround Heuston Station, north and south of the river, with more than 3,000 homes and 350,000sq metres of office space. The city's tallest skyscraper, a 32-storey residential building, which got final approval from An Bord Pleanála last month, will form a "gateway" to the city on Military Road, he noted.
This regeneration alone will involve around €2 billion of private investment with an additional €60 million in public infrastructure projects. The old fruit and vegetable markets southeast of the Four Courts are being moved out of the city. Private investment of more than €400 million will go to build a new food market, restaurant and general retail market within the Victorian building, in addition to 600 homes and 60,000sq metres of office/retail units.
The market square and surrounding infrastructure will receive up to €25 million in Exchequer funding. The new market will link Henry Street with Smithfield.
Poolbeg, which has been beset with problems, including the smell from the new Ringsend sewage plant, will become a "desirable area for residential development", Mr Fitzgerald said.
City manager concerned over quality of Grafton Street retailers: page 3