What happened the National Conference Centre?

There was an even earlier colapse – the Sonas Centre project at the Phoenix Park Racecourse in the mid 90’s contained a National Conference Centre. Was the project ever real?

This is a joke now folks …….may as well bury the idea of an NCC…….No way would McCreevy fund this now….Optimism is dead…..Our brief years of the boom and we have nothing of architectural significance to show…….unlike other cities…..We remain and always will remain an insignificant provincial British city…Man Utd, Eastenders…etc…..Even Bono and his tower can’t redeem it or us.
I would have gone with Roche’s proposal down the docks ….would have complemented Calatrava’s bridge …(that’s if it goes ahead too). Would have been a good contrast too against Scott Tallon Walkers mundane more of the same monopoly on architectural design here too. Alas…… alas…..no more……what an insignificant morass for an insignificant city. Boo hoo….I remember the years of optimism when everything looked so good….when we hosted the MTV music awards ….It looked all so promising.

Here’s to auld Paddy Crosby…..at least he does something for his native Dublin unlike most. Maybe another lifetime!

Thanks for the cheer up GregF. If you haven’t noticed the economic doldrums are everywhere, not just here.

As far as I can tell – what’s going on at the moment down there is as follows:

– PWC building is going ahead as there is a tennant/owner ready for this building.

– Spencer Dock apartments are also going ahead as there is no shortage of buyers. (I wouldn’t be surprised if the next phase may be hurried along too based on the strength of sales last weekend)

– The plot allocated to the conference center is still allocated to the conference center OR a park under the Docklands North Lotts Area Planning Scheme. A decision has not been made which way to develop it but I think it is up to the developers now. If a National conference center will make more money than a park I guess it will go ahead. There’s no reason for them to make the decision now and will pobably continue to put in the elements that are garaunteed to show a return for now.

But wasn’t the fact that a conference centre is in itself unsustainable (financially) not a major point before ?!? Hence the requirement for government/European support (and I presume the deadlines are far in the past now) and major commercial developments to make it viable.

Dublin as a city benefits from such a facility as all the conference goers, who’s basic costs are covered by their organisations/companies, are then fee to spend loads etc etc.

I don’t know how the government can say a conference centre is not self-financing.
Okay, you don’t get your money back directly within five years but they are worth their weight in gold.
I’ve visited a couple of places, diverse cities like Baltimore and Brighton, that seem to thrive in having decent conference centres.
In many US cities, it’s impossible to get a hotel room when they have a big conference on.
We have nothing in Dublin to attract ‘big’ conferences say with 5,000+ delegates.
I personally know Irish people in US who would love to bring events back here but can’t because of lack of facilities.

It’s the same malarky for the National Stadium is ‘nt it.
It is only when all these projects are built; when international events are staged, when the crowds flock to them; when the profile of the country is raised on the international stage; that the penny drops and cloth headed people can see how beneficial such things can be.
Curse the government and the tight arsed money bags.

The sickening thing about all these projects, is that if/when they are ever built all the slimy politicans are the first ones to be seen, smiling for the photographs and acting like they built it all themselves !! 😡

Almost no large conference & convention facilities manage to cover their operating costs, let alone their capital costs.

That is why many US cities impose taxes on airport users, most of whom never use the facility, to fund them and with many of the taxed having no votes locally. Remind me, was it not the US that revolted against taxation without representation!

There are also big questions about convention business in terms of its impact on sustainable development, traffic congestion in city centres. Other benefits are invariably over hyped ( the Jobs, Bednights etc).

Perhaps the National Spatial Strategy will find a home for it.

if i was the government i would be begging the sonas people to come back and build their 60,000 seat stadium, conference centre & their high rise hotel as planned, the scheme fell because of objections to the casino that was to be included, if a casino is the price for all this, well so be it.