Developer Jim Mansfield is considering challenging a Bord Pleanála decision to deny planning permission for a €50 million conference centre in west Dublin. Barry O'Halloran reports.
The appeals board this week overturned a South Dublin County Council decision to grant permission for the 6,000-capacity conference centre on a site at Citywest Hotel and golf resort, near Saggart, Co Dublin.
One of the objectors was Point Promotions, the Harry Crosbie-controlled company responsible for the Point Depot in Dublin.
It asked that, if Citywest was given the go ahead, it be prevented from holding concerts at the venue. Mr Crosbie is a partner with Treasury Holdings, the preferred bidder for a national conference in Dublin's docklands.
The High Court is set to review an earlier planning appeals board decision to refuse permission for the Mansfield centre next October. Mr Mansfield said he would wait for the court's decision before making his next move.
He told The Irish Times yesterday that the An Bord Pleanála decision was flawed and based on incorrect information.
An Bord Pleanála argued that the centre would have inadequate public transport services and said that the proposed extension of the Luas tram system would end over one kilometre from Citywest. However, Mr Mansfield pointed out that the Luas extension would come to within 100 metres of the centre.
He has put a €13 million guarantee in place to fund the extension to nearby Garter's Lane and the local authority has zoned land for this purpose.
The appeals board also shot down the conference centre proposal on the grounds of capacity. Citywest has a function room capable of holding 4,000 people, while the new centre would hold 6,000. Mr Mansfield's company gave a legally binding guarantee under the planning acts that it would not operate both centres together.
However, An Bord Pleanála claimed that this would be difficult to police.
The developer dismissed this and said that the assurance would be honoured.
Mr Mansfield argued that the South Dublin development plan provided for a conference centre.
He said that, by ignoring this and instead arguing that it should be located in the city centre, the planning board was ignoring the democratic process and effectively making policy.
