Thursday 26 June 2008

'Sky Park' project falls back to earth

AMBITIOUS plans for the €1.2bn 'Sky Park' redevelopment of a cinema-site have been hit by a delay of up to eight months, after the local authority said it needs a raft of additional information.

Dublin City Council have highlighted concerns about traffic management, parking and the movement of fleets of construction trucks, before it can decide whether or not to grant planning permission.

It also sought assurances that facades facing from the Carlton Cinema site onto O'Connell Street are sympathetic and have "classic proportions".

Parts of the 5.5 acre site, bound by O'Connell Street, Parnell Street, Moore Street and Henry Street, have been lying empty for almost three decades, while the cinema closed 14 years ago.

The plans include 110 retail units, including an anchor retailer on O'Connell Street, 108 apartments, office space, three new public squares and a roof-top restaurant quarter.

The development also includes a centrepiece "Park in the Sky", which will stand 50m above the city streets.

Planning officials have requested further details on this part of the project.

The council has allowed the developer up to six months to provide the extra information. It could then take planning officials anything up to two months to plough through the details.

Breda Heffernan

www.buckplanning.ie

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