Re: Re: pearse street developments

The Irish Times

One of the last substantial sites in Dublin’s south inner city looks set to be redeveloped as Trinity College prepares to embark on a joint venture with a private developer. The TCD Enterprise Centre covers almost five of the six acres between Macken Street, Pearse Street, Grand Canal Quay and the Dart line, and when redeveloped is likely to have well in excess of 92,903sq m (1 million sq ft) of academic research buildings, offices, retail facilities and apartments. Even before TCD has an opportunity to formally embark on the huge project, a half-acre site near the centre of the Enterprise Centre and fronting onto Grand Canal Harbour goes on the market today. Campion Property Consultants is seeking what it calls “a reasonable offer” for the extensive warehouse but has indicated that the owners, the Jordan family who for years supplied crockery to the hotel industry, will also consider a joint venture with “an experienced and asset-rich partner”. An adjoining building owned by the Connaghton family is the only other property in the area not under the control of TCD. The businessman Denis O’Brien owns the Esat office block on the edge of the site fronting onto Grand Canal Quay. All sides agree that the city planners will probably insist on an overall development plan for the site of almost six acres rather than allow individual owners to decide what they want to develop.

This is good news for the area as the existing must rank as one of the most inapprpriate buildings for a prominent city site.