Dublin’s sprawl threatens to choke the nation

Originally posted by deza
On paper Dublin sprawls for quite a bit. However, my view on this was changed when flying off from Dublin airport a month ago. As you know, the airport is no more than 7 miles from the city centre, but if you look out the window as soon as the plane starts to make it’s accent all you can see are fields – as far as the eye can see.

The area around the Airport is probably the least developed area relative to its distance from the City Centre.

Best International planning practice is to limit non-airport related development for 2-5kms around Airports for three reasons

1> Safety
2> Environmental Health ie noise and air pollution
3> To reserve the land for airport related uses.

If there was a planning free for all around the airport it would simply become a sprawling retail warehouse park.

The Fingal South Fringe Study 2002 deals with the rationale.

What has also hampered North County Dublin is the lack of rail services, it simply isn’t possible to develop many more car dependent homes in this area. To get from the CC to Swords in the evening rush hour takes about 75-90 minutes on the Bus or about the time it takes a train to get to Tullamore.

It does come in pockets as you say and it also comes in lines, one of the major problems here is ribbon development. Where you entered fields on the Southern rail line is almost like a green lung for Dublin.

Immediately to the North is an area called Lucan that has 1000’s of typical 3 bed semi-detatched houses at a density of 16 or less to the acre. To the South is Tallaght which again has 1000’s of low density houses.

The real problems in Dublin are not towards the Airport or along the southern rail line but radiate from major roads. Land prices were very cheap in Dublin until recently which made selling low spec low density housing very profitable.

Now land prices are high at least half the settlement is occuring 30-120 kms away from Central Dublin in the County towns of the adjoining counties. It is leading to a similar phenonenum experienced in the UK in the late 1980’s

All credit to The City Council and Harcourt developments this one looks like a step in the right direction

http://www.irish-architecture.com/news/2004/000151.html

I read somewhere it was but I could be wrong, it has been big enough for many of the tenants in the neighbouring Nutgrove Centre not to renew their leases and move into the new centre, the tenant list from the snippits I’ve seen is impressive. From what I’ve heard the views from the top floor are outstanding with views from Bray to Howth

Originally posted by d_d_dallas
I heard something along the lines of five floors underground…?

Of Parking?

I have only seen whats in the Commercial property supplements so I can’t be sure, I was talking to someone who visited the site 2 weeks ago and she was very impressed by the views she had seen. I also very much doubt that fire officer would grant five floors of underground retail space.

there’s an article about it (or rather about its lift shafts) in this week’s AJ which includes all the stats.