UP TO 500 residential units are included in the planned Players Square, a mixed-use redevelopment of the former Player Wills and Bailey Gibson sites on the South Circular Road in Dublin 8. The scheme totals 64,200sq m (691,042sq ft) in a range of buildings on the 4.2-hectare brownfield site.

Final planning permission for the large development was given by An Bord Pleanála in April and included a number of amendments. The planned mix includes retail units and a large anchor food and home store, office units, crèches and community buildings, a medical centre, leisure facilities and a school.

The buildings range from two to four storeys on the development's periphery and up to eight storeys in the central core of the development. Construction is due to commence next year with first occupation two years later.

The 11-acre site has been idle for years. Surrounded by residential housing, the provision of new services in the development will help to revitalise this part of Dublin.

Players Square is a joint venture involving Bee Bee Developments Ireland Ltd and the Walls Group. The development architects are led by Gerry Cahill of Gerry Cahill Architects (GCA) and Michael Grace of Newenham Mulligan Architects (NMA).

The plan involves the creation of Players Square, a new civic space on the Player Wills site. The square will be surrounded by ground floor retail and commercial uses.

This links to the South Circular Road via a new street through the retained façade of the John Player building itself - the front portion of which will be restored to provide ground floor shops and dwellings above.

The plan envisages a large supermarket facing onto the square and this is to have a landscaped rooftop courtyard for surrounding apartments.

The development includes social and affordable housing organised around gardens and playgrounds and small-scale own-door offices to encourage employment creation.

A new childcare and community building, with a 16-classroom school and crèche facilities, will be adjacent to St Catherine's School and Catholic church.

A similar design approach has been applied to the Bailey Gibson site which will offer a public plaza around which will be a new medical and GP centre, affordable housing and community facilities, own-door commercial units and a large leisure centre with gymnasium, pool and exercise areas.

New streets and squares will be built into the development connecting to the pattern of the surrounding neighbourhoods so that the new will readily be integrated with the old.