Plans for a major residential and office scheme at Hickey's Fabrics headquarters at Parkgate Street, Dublin 8 - opposite Heuston Railway Station - will shortly be lodged with Dublin City Council.

Architect Scott Tallon Walker has been engaged by Hickey's to design the scheme at the prime 0.7-hectare site beside the River Liffey at the junction of Parkgate Street and Seán Heuston Bridge.

The scheme will involve 139 apartments in two nine-storey blocks, a public plaza overhanging the River Liffey, a six-storey glazed office block and a new pedestrianised street connecting Parkgate Street to the river.

Hickey's expansion into the retail warehouse sector in recent years has reduced the necessity for a city centre headquarters, explained Iain Finnegan of estate agent Finnegan Menton who will be handling the sale of the scheme, if it gets approval.

It is planned to build two connecting L-shaped residential buildings with frontage onto both Parkgate Street and the River Liffey.

All the apartments will have either balconies, terraces or private gardens and, in addition, all units will have views over the River Liffey.

Currently, quality apartments with river views in the city centre command prices from €650,000 for a two-bedroom unit and around €1.25 million for a penthouse.

The glass and stone office block will front onto Parkgate Street and will provide 6,522sq m (70,200sq ft) of office space.

The scheme will also involve the restoration of a number of protected structures on the site. A stone archway will be moved from its current position on Parkgate Street to another location on the site where it will be used to provide pedestrian access to a crèche facility on the site.

Hickey's is also seeking permission to make a break in the River Liffey Quay Wall, which is a protected structure, to provide views into the site and facilitate the construction of a public plaza overhanging the River Liffey.

The scheme will also include two retail units fronting onto Parkgate Street, a restaurant fronting onto the river, four own-door duplex office units and a new river walk way connecting to an existing walkway to the west of the site. Around 159 car-parking spaces will be provided at the scheme.