A ruling due to be made by An Bord Pleanála within a month or so will determine whether the Liffey Valley shopping centre at Quarryvale, on Dublin's M50, can be doubled in size, writes Frank McDonald, Environment Editor.
This follows a four-day oral hearing last week on an appeal by the developers of a rival shopping centre at Balgaddy, between Lucan and Clondalkin, against South Dublin County Council's refusal to approve their scheme.
Everglades Properties Ltd, a company controlled by Treasury Holdings, is seeking permission to develop a site which was the original choice for a town centre to serve the rapidly-expanding Lucan-Clondalkin area.
However that plan was set aside by the controversial rezoning of Quarryvale in 1992, one of the planning decisions being investigated by the Flood tribunal over allegations that several councillors received money for their votes.
The choice between the two sites was at the heart of last week's oral hearing.
One of the third-party appellants was a company controlled by Mr Owen O'Callaghan, who developed Liffey Valley and owns land adjoining Balgaddy.
South Dublin County Council has so far declined to adopt the Retail Planning Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area, which favours further expansion of Liffey Valley, at least until after An Bord Pleanála rules on the appeal.
There has been ongoing disagreement between the county council and Everglades over access to the Balgaddy site from Fonthill Road.
The council owns a strip of land here, and refused to allow Everglades to cross it.
In refusing permission for the shopping centre, the council cited lack of access as one of the reasons. Everglade sees this as evidence of prejudice against its plans to leave the way open for expanding Liffey Valley.
At last week's oral hearing, the presiding inspector, Mr Brendan Wyse, refused an application on behalf of Everglades to adjourn it as Everglade was seeking to bring the issue of refusal of access before the High Court.
Mr Jim Johnston, senior executive planner with South Dublin County Council, outlined the 10 grounds for refusal.
Apart from access and traffic problems, the council objected to the scale of the scheme and its podium design.
One of Everglade's selling points is that its site at Balgaddy is on the Kildare commuter railway line.
Iarnród Éireann confirmed its intention to build a new station at this location, and is discussing with the developers how to fund it.
Commenting on the scheme's reliance on public transport, the county council described the Dublin Transportation Office's "Platform For Change" strategy as "an aspirational document" and queried the deliverability of improvements to the M50.
Ms Hazel Jones, Everglade's planning director, commented that this was ironic given that Adamstown was going through the council on the same day with much of its feasibility predicated on the provision of public transport improvements.
She also pointed out that Liffey Valley was not located on a public transport corridor and, if the DTO's strategy was as "aspirational" as the council suggested, it would not be served by a metro or a new Luas light rail line.
The inspector, Mr Wyse, will now make his report and recommendations to An Bord Pleanála, which will make its decision in due course.