Liffey Cable Cars – Pointless Gimmick or….

I’m just trying to find out what happened to the project, after the initial support expressed by the City Council, the DDDA, and Guinness. Frank McDonald also seemed to approve of the scheme, in the articles earlier on in the thread. Anyone know?

ABP’s recent decision of 25 Oct 07

PC0014 Dublin City Council
Proposed Suas Cable Car Transport System to run from Heuston Gate area to Dublin Docklands providing a tourist facility along the River Liffey, Dublin City, Co. Dublin.
Case reference: PL29N.PC0014
Case type: Pre-Application Consultation
Decision: Is not Strat. Infrast. Dev.
Date Signed: 25/10/2007
EIS required: No

Parties
The Liffey Cable Car Company Ltd. (Prosp. Applicant)
Dublin City Council (Local Authority)

History
25/10/2007: Is not Strat. Infrast. Dev.
08/06/2007: Lodged

@CC105 wrote:

Hopefully this one is a dead duck, lets get some buildings up before we start building items like this, it reminds me of Alton Towers in England

It hasn’t gone away you know…

From yesterday’s Irish Times –

Cable car project to seek city council sanction

THE DEVELOPER behind the €90 million “Suas” cable car project for the River Liffey is to seek planning permission from Dublin City Council for the scheme, after failing to secure fast-track planning approval from An Bord Pleanála.

Details of the Suas, which would run from Heuston Station to the docklands and involve the construction of 80m (262ft) towers along its length, were yesterday presented to city councillors ahead of the submission of a planning application.

Developer Barry Boland, formerly a planner with Dublin County Council, last year sought to have the Suas considered under fast-track planning rules which allow strategic infrastructural developments to be determined directly by An Bord Pleanála.

However, the board decided the Suas did not qualify as strategic infrastructure, leaving Mr Boland no option but to apply to the city council.

The Suas would be a tourist attraction rather than a public transport system, Mr Boland said.

“We’re trying to create the equivalent of an Eiffel Tower, the London Eye or the Sydney Opera House – the sort of iconic thing that Dublin currently lacks.”

Each cable car could carry 30 people and would run every 20 minutes. A round trip would cost €25. Two 80m towers – 20m taller than Liberty Hall – would be built at Marlborough Street and Wood Quay, and 60m towers would be located in the docklands and at Watling Street to support the cable. Mr Boland estimates that one in every eight visitors to Dublin would use the Suas.

Several councillors said they were interested in the project, but stopped short of endorsing it.

“My mind was quite closed to this project, and I would still have a certain scepticism, but my mind is perhaps a little less closed,” Labour councillor Emer Costello said.

Sinn Féin’s Daithí Doolan said it was good to see a project that was “trying to do something with the Liffey”.

Mr Boland said it was up to the planners to decide if it detracted from the skyline. He had wanted the cable cars to be in the shape of a pint of Guinness, but this violated advertising codes.

Mr Boland said he would be ready to submit his planning application within weeks. However, because the city council owns some of the land on which the entrance to the Suas and the towers supporting the cable would be built, he needs to be given permission by the city manager to lodge an application.

A Dublin City Council spokeswoman said Mr Boland would need to seek a pre-planning meeting with the council to detail how he intended to deal with certain issues including access.

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority said it supported the project in principle, pending a decision from the council.

The Irish Times

This cannot possibly go ahead. It will impinge on views of The Clarence.

Sinn Féin’s Daithí Doolan said it was good to see a project that was “trying to do something with the Liffey”.

I’ve a suggestion for Doolin; why doesn’t he organise the World’s 1st Liffey Swim With Concrete Flippers – he can be first in…

sombody make this go away …
please !!!

@hutton wrote:

Sinn Féin’s Daithí Doolan said it was good to see a project that was “trying to do something with the Liffey”.

Presumably he meant ‘to the Liffey’ rather than ‘with the Liffey’? :rolleyes:

I’d like to see something done with the Liffey- how about a good clean, a tidal barrier and a management plan to ensure bullshit concepts like this don’t make it out of the heads of maniacs?

Nature abhors a vacuum- but why must it be left to the lunatic fringe to fill that void?

@hutton wrote:

The Suas would be a tourist attraction rather than a public transport system, Mr Boland said.

“We’re trying to create the equivalent of an Eiffel Tower, the London Eye or the Sydney Opera House – the sort of iconic thing that Dublin currently lacks.”[/I]

you can have both in one but not with a suas…
the equivalent is the spire nuff said…

I’m abit miffed about how he needs DCC City Manag permission because some of the site is on DCC land…
Is this hinting to the fact if something is on public land you can apply for permission without DCC consent???

“We’re trying to create the equivalent of an Eiffel Tower, the London Eye or the Sydney Opera House – the sort of iconic thing that Dublin currently lacks.”

What he fails to note is that none of these were designed to be ‘iconic’. OK, the OPera House was designed to look good, but the first 2 were in fact built as temporary structures but became iconic and so got to stay.

You just can’t sit down and design something iconic.

This plan is bollox. Crass & tacky.

Further thought – The Eiffel Tower & The London Eye were designed as temporary structures for major events. Maybe we could have a temporary Suas for the Eucharistic Congress in 2012. If Suas becomes iconic it can stay, otherwise it has to come down 🙂

monorail is a waste of money… trams are only good up to certain distances… Sydney has too many buses…