Re: Re: the second redevelopment of ballsbridge

There is a very good reason for these stations closing.

Petrol stations are valued on throughput i.e. if you sell 6000 litres per week you get 20c per litre on an annualised basis whereas if you sell 20,000 litres per week you get 30c per litre again on an annualised basis.

The real profit in petrol stations is not the fuel but the ancillary sales such as grocery, confectionary and the real jam comes from revnues derived from car-washes and the leasehold interests on McDonalds outlets etc. For about 15 years the trend has been for 1 acre sites by the major distribution companies who have been happy to dispose of stations like this one as well as others like the Shell stations at Harcourt Road and Bride Street.

When you combine the business case together with the reality that many stations tended to have sprung up in the 1960’s in the more affluent areas the land pull basically ensures game over for all but a few stations inside the M50.

Would love to think that we will all be running around on rail in the near future but I am not holding my breath and that is why higher densities are required where there is existing rail and QBC infrastructure. The key is to balance the needs of the City to accomodate growth with the amenities of the areas which created that demand in the first instance.