Re: Re: A city constrained by a Frank McDonald credo would be ‘dismal and prissy’ –

@lexington wrote:

I think to deny that Liffey Valley did not enhance the Quarryvale area would be empty. The scheme brought hundreds of jobs to an economically and socially wanting area – .

There were plans for a proper towncentre at Balgaddy which was flagged in the original plan to develop the three new towns orf Tallaght, Clondalkin and Blanchardstown.

What O’Callaghan did by using Frank Dunlop to tinker with the local authority consent system seriously undermined the capacity of the local authority to deliver those plans. The net effect of O’Callaghans intervention is negative economically as a result of the creation of significant negative externalities and opportunity cost.

@lexington wrote:

this was in part thanks to employment training schemes undertaken by O’Callaghan Properties, which of course served a purpose in staffing LV, but nonetheless provided much needed skills and employment opportunities. A similar but far more developed initiative was engaged in Mahon – co-operatively between O’Callaghan Properties & FAS – essentially training and employment skills were afforded hundreds of local area residents. Many of these residents have been able to move on from initial opportunities at Mahon Point to other positions across the city and county. .

Minimum wage level jobs in the main.

@lexington wrote:

I’m not arguing the architectural element – .

So why are you arguing on an architecture forum?

@lexington wrote:

Similar to Ballymun I would believe. I took a drive through Ballymun a few weeks back and have to say I’m impressed by the progress – and indeed the empirically improved circumstances.

Ballymun in contrast to anything O’Callagan has ever done was planned properly; featured a high standard of architecture and possesses real social facilities.

I hope that Frank McDonald devotes more of his well considered time and measured journalistic output on the large numbers of inappropriate developments taking plce in Cork City centre at present.