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Calls to scrap Poolbeg planning scheme

Thursday, 10 July 2008

A SOUTHSIDE activists’ group has urged the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) to scrap their proposals for the redevelopment of over 200 acres of land on the Poolbeg Peninsula.
The Ringsend, Sandymount and Irishtown Group says it has environmental concerns around the plan such as the potential loss of beaches and natural wildlife habitats.
The group is arguing that the potential loss to residents of recreation areas arising from the redevelopment of the peninsula would not be tolerated in more affluent areas of Dublin like Howth or Dalkey.
They are also calling for the ESB power plant site in the area to be used to facilitate the expansion of Dublin Port.
The DDDA has earmarked over 200 acres of land surrounding the ESB power station in Poolbeg for commercial and residential development as part of their new Poolbeg Peninsula Planning Scheme.
Following the purchase of the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend as part of a consortium with the Bernard McNamara group, the docklands authority now occupies a significant site on the peninsula.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act includes a provision whereby the authority can develop a planning scheme and extend its Section 25 planning process to appropriate areas covered by the Docklands Master Plan.
In a recent report, the DDDA said their vision for Poolbeg was to: “create an urban waterside quarter that facilitates sustainable and consolidated growth of Dublin city and articulates a new relationship between the city and the bay.
“The quarter will provide for commercial, residential, cultural and amenity uses, whilst balancing the essential industrial and infrastructural requirements of the area.
“The recreational and amenity potential will be enhanced through a landscape and environmental framework, which optimises the natural resources and ecology of the peninsula.”
In their submission, the Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount Environmental Group described the peninsula as “a natural area of recreation, always enjoyed by the people of Ringsend and Sandymount.”
“It is a natural habitat for wildlife and birds. It is an area of open space necessary to offset the heavy industrial nature of Dublin Port and is not suitable for high-rise office/residential development.
”If such a plan, as is proposed in the master plan now on display, were proposed for any other areas such as Howth, Sutton, Killiney, Dalkey or Killiney, there would be an outcry at the seizure of public facilities such as beaches, open spaces and areas of recreation.”
The Government is currently considering proposals to move work from Dublin Port to a location outside the city. Possible locations include Drogheda, Co Louth and Bremore near Balbriggan in north Co Dublin.
However, in its submission on a study carried out recently by Dublin City Council on the move, Dublin Port Company said that moving would increase travel times and costs and would damage Ireland's attractiveness as a business location.
The Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount Environmental Group agree that the port should remain in the city and could be expanded at the ESB site on the Poolbeg Peninsula.
“It is our understanding that the ESB premises at the Poolbeg Power Station is due to close down,” the group’s submission states.
“This is an obvious facility to enable the expansion of Dublin Port, given that there is deep sea water and land available for port activities.
“The proposal that the port be relocated elsewhere is ridiculous. It would create traffic unnecessarily in an already congested network of roads whereas presently goods can be unloaded in the heart of the city at Dublin Port.”
The ESB has indicated that it will close down the station but no formal arrangements regarding the closure have been made.

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