Groups want jobs for locals at docks development sites

Community representatives on the Dublin Docklands Development Authority will "walk out" unless a master plan for the 1,300-acre area contains a firm commitment on jobs for local people.

Mr Seanie Lambe, of the Inner City Community Organisations Network, issued the warning yesterday during a questions-and-answers session on the draft master plan at UCD's Industry Centre in Belfield.

Addressing an audience predominantly of people from the property world, he said local communities had been let down before when promised employment in the Custom House Docks scheme failed to materialise.

Mr Lambe said there had to be "tangible benefits" for local people from the latest plan if there was to be any chance of securing their support for it. And these benefits, particularly jobs, would have to be seen fairly quickly.

Ms Betty Ashe, manager of the Inner City Employment Service, told those at the session, which was organised by Hamilton Osborne King, that they would not "get away with developing our community without putting something in".

Mr Peter Malone, managing director of Jurys Hotels, which has a policy of employing local people voluntarily, warned that developers would not go into the area if there was any question of imposing a 25 per cent quota for local employment. Mr Gus MacAmhlaigh, manager of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, said such a quota was not on the agenda, but the authority would operate a policy of "positive discrimination" in favour of local people.

He said the authority, which has set itself a target of up to 40,000 jobs in the area over the next 15 years, was confident it could double the number of local people working there "without resorting to quotas".

Mr MacAmhlaigh referred to the leverage which the DDDA would have, given that 75 per cent of the 200 acres of "developable land" was in public ownership through a variety of State bodies and it intended to acquire this by agreement.

Mr Russell Taylor, managing partner of Savills, a London firm of estate agents, said most local people in its docklands area did not get construction jobs. They had to wait for 10 years until bars, restaurants and other service outlets opened. Ms Joan O'Connor, a member of the DDDA's executive board, said that was one of the reasons the draft plan had a target of 10,000 residential units - to create a "critical mass" which would sustain service jobs in launderettes, for example.

Mr Liam Lenehan, of Hamilton Osborne King, said the docklands area was a "mouth-watering prospect" for developers.

October 20th is the deadline for submissions on the draft plan, which was published early last month. The final master plan is to be adopted by late next month or early December.