Dublin City Council to use CPO's to Facilitate Arnotts "Northern Quarter" Plan

Dublin City Council (DCC) is planning to use compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to forcibly acquire properties to facilitate the development of the Northern Quarter retail scheme planned by Arnotts for Henry Street in Dublin city centre.

The council said its is proposing to initiate a CPO to allow Arnotts acquire "some properties not yet acquired by the developer, the perfection of title where required and the extinguishment of rights of way over certain laneways/ roadway. The CPO will have regard to the final decision on the planning application. All costs incurred by DCC will be underwritten by the developer."

The €750m Northern Quarter plan has been given planning permission by An Bord Pleanála, which has told Arnotts to lower the heights of many of the buildings proposed and halve the number of proposed car spaces.

Arnotts had originally proposed developing a new department store, 47 shops, 14 cafes, restaurants and bars, around 175 apartments and a 149-bedroom four-star hotel on the 5.5-acre site it has assembled by buying surrounding properties. It has also bought properties on nearby Liffey Street, including the K2 bar, for about €10m.

Arnotts had planned to relocate to the former Debenhams unit in Jervis Street shopping centre during the redevelopment but it is now looking at moving to another location.

The decision to use a CPO for Northern Quarter will revive memories of the council's decision to CPO the nearby Carlton cinema and adjoining sites which held up development of the area for seven years.

Developer Joe O'Reilly has since bought the site and a large number of surrounding properties and is planning a major rival development to Northern Quarter on the site.

Recently, the developer secured planning permission for a part of the €1.25bn redevelopment when he was granted plan­ning permission to demolish the Royal Dublin Hotel, which he bought for €30m.

He will now be able to develop more than 1,100sq m of shops, a gallery and more than 2,500sq m of office space. His scheme, currently dubbed Dublin Central, will be anchored by Dublin department store John Lewis.




Source:

Sunday Tribune, Neil Callanan July 13, 2008

http://www.tribune.ie/business/article/2008/jul/13/council-to-use-cpos-to-help-arnotts-with-750m-henr/

An Bord Pleanala Effectively Rubber Stamps Massive "Northern Quarter" Development

An Bord Pleanála has given the go-ahead for a major redevelopment by Arnotts in Dublin city centre.

The company is planning a €750 million redevelopment of a 5.5-acre block, centered at the site of planned for the site of the existing Henryu Street store in Dublin. The development will be bordered by Henry Street, Middle Abbey Street, Liffey Street and O'Connell Street into a new shopping, entertainment and residential zone, called "Northern Quarter".

The Planning Board gave the green light subject to 26 conditions, including the preservation of several protected buildings in the area.

An Post, An Taisce and the Rail Procurement Agency were among the parties that had appealed planning permission for the scheme, which was granted by Dublin City Council last summer.

Among the conditions laid down, an Bord Pleanála has ruled that the developer has to provide for 24-hour public access to all of the proposed new public streets and spaces, including Abbey Square.

The board also said there must also be a year-round festival ticket office at ground-floor level, appropriate childcare facilities, and an archaeological appraisal of the site. An independent road safety audit must be done, and a parking-management plan prepared and agreed with the planning authority, the board stipulated.

Details of shopfront design - including any associated signage, lettering, lighting or security screens - is subject to a further application for planning permission.

In April 2008, an Bord Pleanála had rejected several aspects of the development, including a proposed 16-storey tower. The board told Arnotts to cut the height of the tower by nine storeys and ensure that no other building in the development was higher than seven.

In its letter to Arnotts, the board said then the development would be "unduly obtrusive on the skyline" and would "seriously detract from the balance and architectural coherence of these streets".

An Arnotts spokesman said: “We are delighted with the news. It gives certainty to the very ambitious Northern Quarter project. We will work with the city council to deal with the various conditions An Bord Pleanála has made.”

The retailer refused to comment on a previous announcement that 580 of its 950 staff will be let go when the store moves temporarily to Jervis Street Shopping Centre, which is one-third the size of Henry Street site. Boyers on North Earl Street will also be converted to an Arnotts furniture and home store.

“The news has come a bit faster than expected, so Arnotts will now sit down to assess the detail of what will happen next,” the spokesman added. “Over the next few weeks, management will also work to bring clarity to the workers.”

Linda Tanham, an official with trade union Mandate, which represents most Arnotts’ workers, said staff are still unsure as to what will happen next. “We are expecting to meet with management this week to get an update on a timescale for trading and intended job losses,” she added.

When completed, the Northern Quarter – bordered by the Middle Abbey Street, Henry Street, and Liffey Street - is expected to employ over 5,000 people, with one-fifth of those working in the new Arnotts store.

It is envisaged one of the main features will be the re-creation of Prince’s Street as an urban street and pedestrian thoroughfare with a new public square at its centre.

Welcoming the decision, Jerry Ryan, managing director of HKR Architects, responsible for the overall design, stated: “This is one of the largest and most significant regeneration projects to be undertaken in Dublin’s city centre and is an exciting and challenging project for HKR.“

Gina Quin, chief executive of Dublin Chamber of Commerce, asserted that the Northern Quarter will reinvigorate the heart of Dublin city centre.
“Not only will it have a significant impact on the city’s retail variety and range of offerings, but this development will also help to transform the Henry Street area into a vibrant residential, leisure and entertainment hub,” she said.

“The Northern Quarter will offer residents, shoppers and tourists a wide range of activities in the evenings and will play an important part in the transformation of Dublin’s city centre into that of a world class city with a quality of life that is second to none.”

The Construction Industry Federation likewise, asserted that the scheme will make a huge contribution to the (construction?) sector. “There are a number of large scale projects in the pipeline or which have already begun and the Arnotts redevelopment is a huge construction opportunity, particularly for those in commercial construction, said spokesman.


Source:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0728/breaking51.htm

Quarryvale land rose €60million in value after rezoning process

Cork property developer Owen O'Callaghan admitted to the Mahon Tribunal that land at Quarryvale increased in value by the equivalent of around €60m when rezoned.

Mr. O'Callaghan went on to deny that notes he made on financial records suggested he had paid councillors in exchange for voting in favour of rezoning.

The developer was shown a valuation report by Hamilton Osbourne King from 1992. The report estimated the 118 hectares or 180 acres of land at Quarryvale in west Dublin to be worth £19m but if rezoned for a town centre this would rise to £31m.

Patricia Dillon SC for the tribunal said this uplift would be equivalent to around €60m in today's terms which is likely to be a conservative estimate.

Mr. O'Callaghan said this valuation was based on 500,000 sq ft of retail space, which was not achieved for a number of years after that.

Mr. O'Callaghan denied that notes he made concerning records of payments to Frank Dunlop meant that money was paid in exchange for rezoning votes.

Beside the payments totaling £80,000 to Mr Dunlop in 1991, Mr O'Callaghan had written 'May 16th' - the date of the rezoning vote - and 'for election', a reference to the local elections in June.

Mr O'Callaghan stated that this was a silly note to ease his mind in regard to the high level of fees charged by reminding himself that Mr Dunlop would be facing requests for donations by councillors who had supported Quarryvale.

Source:


"Quarryvale land rose €60m after rezoning"

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0723/mahon.html

Planning Board Approval for U2's Clarence Hotel plans

The developers of the proposed Clarance Hotel redevelopment which include U2 members Bono and The Edge have secured planning permission from An Bord Pleanála to redevelop the Clarence Hotel in Dublin.

An Bord Pleanála disregarded the recommendation of the inspector who held the public hearing into the case.

The inspector had recommended that the hotel not be granted planning permission.


Heritage groups had opposed the plan as most of the art deco hotel, and several Georgian quayside buildings, will be extensively remodelled.

In April 2008, U2's guitarist The Edge told a hearing by An Bord Pleanála that the future of the hotel may be in doubt, if the owners' redevelopment proposals were rejected.

Under those plans, developed by Norman Foster, most of the 1930s hotel, four Georgian buildings, and a Victorian building will be remodelled. A huge glass atrium will then be built over the new structure.

However, the scale of the redevelopment led the heritage groups to oppose it, arguing the redevelopment was inappropriate and affects protected buildings.

John Redmill, a committee member of the Irish Georgian Society, said it was a very black day for historic buildings and asserted the historic skyline of the capital would now be destroyed.

However, Damien Cassidy of the National Conservation Group welcomed the decision.

He withdrew an objection to the project after Bono arranged a meeting for him with the architect Norman Foster.

He said Mr Foster explained that the controversial glass atrium was an environmentally-friendly aspect, which would contribute to the heating of the building.

Mr Cassidy said the decision guarantees the Clarence will remain open for business as a landmark hotel, which was welcome in the context of the closure of several traditional Dublin businesses such as Bewleys and Jurys.

Comment:

If this development proceeds, it will complete the almost complete destruction of Dublin's historic quays, which took place from the mid-1980's onwards, to be replaced by junk architecture., a process that was largely funded by tax incentives.
This particular development is completely unacceptable in its quayside context.


Source:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0717/clarence.html

http://www.irish-architecture.com/news/2007/000022.html

Planning Bord's rejections of proposed Ringaskiddy facility hightlights need for development of Rail Freight

The Refusal by An Bord Pleanala to approve the Port of Cork Development Plan is a damning indictment of Government‘s lack of a cohesive policy on critical infrastructure, according to the Irish Exporters Association

The planning board said that while it accepted the need to move port activities from Tivoli, it believed that the Ringaskiddy site did not have an adequate road network.

The Port of Cork had applied under the Strategic Infrastructure Act for permission to develop a new €160 million container terminal at Oysterbank in Ringaskiddy, but An Bord Pleanála refused permission last Friday following a 15-day oral hearing into the matter in April.

Ger Downey, Chairman of the IEA Southern Region stated:

“The planned location of the development, far from adding to traffic congestion on the N28 route linking the area to the Cork Ring Road, would have facilitated Ireland’s major Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and high-end Food Product manufacture cluster at Ringaskiddy, giving quick and safe access to shipping services for imports of raw materials and exports of finished products. The IEA calls on the NRA to proceed with the upgrade of the N28 as a high priority”.

The Association expressed surprise that and An Bord Pleanala placed so much emphasis on the need for a Port development to be rail connected, given the effective abandonment of rail freight by Iarnrod Eireann and the Department of Transport.

The IEA has campaigned to have rail freight restored, particularly to the Ports of Dublin and Foynes and supports the recent statement by Minister Micheal Martin TD, highlighting the need for a return to rail as a means of transporting freight in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Irish Rail has purchased, under Transport 21, a fleet of suitable rail wagons for the carriage of all container sizes, as a resultthe Association sees no impediment to a rapid move of container traffic from road to rail. These new wagons are currently lying idle.

The IEA calls on the Port of Cork to move with the utmost speed to re-apply for planning permission that will meet the needs of exporters in the Munster region to operate in an efficient and competitive manner. The IEA also calls on the Governments Critical Infrastructure Review body, set up to streamline critical infrastructure and chaired by the Taoiseach, to become involved and show they have real powers to progress the Port of Cork’s much needed Development Plan.
The IEA stated that more than 95% of manufactured exports leave Ireland by sea and as ship sizes grow, existing facilities at Cork will become quite inadequate for efficient shipping.


In a related development, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has urged the Port of Cork to consult more widely with local groups in Cork harbour when preparing any alternative plan for the transfer of its container terminal from Tivoli to another location in the harbour.


Mr Martin said the board's decision clearly highlighted the need for a return to rail in the years to come as a means of transporting freight in order to reduce CO2 emission.

Comment: This laudable and rather sudden concern for the development of rail freight services in Ireland, is interesting in the context of the proposed Bremore Port development. If this port proceeds, it will have to have road and and any possible rail connections provided for it where none exist. Cork and the Shannon Region ports, for example, have adjacent rail facilities., all that is needed are the resources.
"There were a lot of concerns among local residents and environmental groups in terms of the specific plans by the port.

"I think the port will have to take those concerns on board and they will have to consult more with people in the harbour before they come back again."


Sources:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0630/1214764285530.html

http://buckplanning.blogspot.com/2008/06/minister-urges-port-of-cork-to-think.html

http://www.portofcork.ie/news-events.aspx?id=154