Clouds are gathering over Spencer Dock in the Docklands where the promoters of the national conference centre and its massive office and apartment element are stewing over the latest missile from the Corpo.

Sean Carey, the Assistant County Manager in charge of planning and development, held meetings last Friday and again on Monday with representatives of the Spencer Dock team to spell out the corporation's parameters for the development. It is understood the planning chief gave the consortium a figure for the total square footage which the corporation would be prepared to accept and, while the figure is not being revealed at this stage, it is known to be substantially below the six million square feet laid out in architect Kevin Roche's master plan.

John Ronan and Richard Barrett from Treasury Holdings, along with Jim Gahon from CIE, who own the 51-acre site, were on hand to hear the bad news.