Liffey Valley developers to pay nearly €10m to council in fees
By Maurice Garvey
DEVELOPERS will pay close to €10 million in contribution fees to South Dublin County Council for public infrastructure and road works – under planning requirements for the new 2,500 seat Olympic-sized indoor ice arena in Liffey Valley.
Planning permission was granted for the major 22,000 sq m development at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre this week by the local authority.
Asset and development managers Hines, who submitted the plans on behalf of its co-owners in February, welcomed the decision, which they say will transform the centre’s civic spaces into a European-scale urban plaza.
Planning conditions state the developer shall pay €5 million for traffic lights at the St Loman’s roundabout at Fonthill/Coldcut Road junction, hard linking of nearby junctions, and installation of CCTV at three junctions.
The developer shall also pay a fee of €4.6m for public infrastructure works (water, waste etc) under terms of the development contribution scheme.
The Olympic standard ice arena has the potential to create huge economic benefits for the local economy, and is capable of hosting international ice skating competitions, ice hockey matches and ice entertainment performances.
The project has the potential to create up to 450 construction jobs, and approximately 1,500 full and part-time jobs upon completion.
This would bring the total number of people employed within the centre to over 3,700.
Brian Moran, Senior Managing Director of Hines Ireland said: “We now have a visionary plan which will redefine Liffey Valley as both a shopping and retail experience and also as a leisure and recreation destination.
“For the past two years, we have been developing a new vision of Liffey Valley via a series of works in the centre itself and the new western-end extension. This new additional public space will provide an additional mixed leisure entertainment, commercial and retail extension creating an active public environment.”
Council planners chose to remove a proposed multi-storey car park as part of the permission – Hines said they will work towards an “improved solution.”
A study commissioned by Hines, predicts spending and population growth in Liffey Valley’s catchment to “outstrip growth in supply over the next five years.”
Hines Ireland initiated an architectural competition for the project with US firm RTKL selected.
A submission to the plans by over 40 parents across Dublin and Leinster, says the rink will be a “much-needed boost” for ice sports.
The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) welcomed the decision – athletes currently have to travel to Northern Ireland or further afield to train on ice.
They said this will allow greater numbers to participate in ice sports in a “state-of-the-art venue”, and “change the lives of those currently involved in ice sports in Dublin and Ireland.”
