Proposals for new urban quarter on Poolbeg peninsula gain approval

Proposals to build a high-density new urban quarter located on Dublin's Poolbeg peninsula were formally approved by the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment yesterday.

Detailed plans for "a high-quality, high-density mixed-use development" which would be based on public transport and strategically located close to the city centre will now be brought forward by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA).

The area concerned is mostly made up of the 25-acre former Irish Glass Bottle site and includes parts of York Road and Pigeon House Road, which Minister of State for the Environment Batt O'Keeffe yesterday said was for the provision of a new Luas line. The proposal excludes the ESB power generating stations, the city wastewater treatment plant and the site for the proposed city incinerator. An important aspect of any development would be the potential impact of rising sea levels in the low-lying area. It may be necessary to build an embankment around the site.

Mr O'Keeffe said he expected the first draft of the scheme to be ready by the summer, with a full environmental impact assessment by the end of the year.

Dublin City Council has already advertised for consultants to design a "public transport only" bridge with provision for Luas tracks to link across the Liffey from Sir John Rogerson's Quay to the redeveloped Point.

The former Irish Glass Bottle site was bought for €412 million last year by the property developer Bernard McNamara in partnership with the DDDA.

Features of the development already mooted include new homes for a population of about 10,000, a sports stadium, and mixed commercial, amenity and leisure uses.

According to Mr O'Keeffe the advantages of vesting the scheme in the hands of the DDDA include increased certainty for developers and more rapid decision-making on development proposals compared to the normal planning process.

The designation of the area and the involvement of the DDDA was welcomed by local TDs Ruairí Quinn of Labour and John Gormley of the Green Party.

Mr Quinn said the development represented the last third of the DDDA's 15-year development which he had been pleased to initiate as minister for finance. He said the DDDA had a big commitment to 20 per cent affordable housing and he noted "to the eternal credit of the DDDA they have never taken cash in lieu of the 20 per cent provision". This was, he added, in marked contrast to the city council.

Both Mr Quinn and Mr Gormley agreed the development was dependent on public transport and both described the extension of the Luas as a prerequisite for any development.