County councillors in south Dublin have cleared the way for a major expansion of the controversial Liffey Valley shopping centre.
By a two to one majority, they rejected a motion which would have deferred the rezoning of the centre at Quarryvale until after the planning tribunal has reported.
The vote taken last Thursday overturns a 2002 decision not to rezone Liffey Valley as a major "town centre" until the tribunal had investigated allegations of corruption surrounding its rezoning in the early 1990s.
This time, the newly-elected councillors effectively accepted the arguments of their planners that the Liffey Valley centre is now a fait accompli, even though a rival site at Balgaddy was originally earmarked for retail development in the area.
The decision means that Liffey Valley will enjoy the same status for retail development as other "level 2" town centres such as The Square in Tallaght and Blanchardstown shopping centre, and is likely to grow significantly. Dublin's city centre is categorized as the only "level 1" shopping district.
Lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop has told the tribunal he paid £112,000 to councillors to have the Quarryvale site rezoned for retail use in 1991-1993. Hearings into his allegations are due to start later this year. Currently, the tribunal is investigating separate corruption allegations made by developer Mr Tom Gilmartin, who first spotted the potential of the 180-acre Quarryvale site, which lies on the junction of the M50 and the Dublin-Galway road.
Mr Gilmartin has claimed he was ousted from the project, which was eventually built as the Liffey Valley centre by another developer, Mr Owen O'Callaghan. However, the size of the Liffey Valley centre has been severely capped up to now. Ironically, councillors took the latest decision on the same day that former minister Mr Pádraig Flynn began giving evidence to the tribunal about his acceptance of a £50,000 cheque from Mr Gilmartin in 1989. The proposed rezoning of Quarryvale was discussed as part of deliberations on a new development plan for 2004-2010.
Green Councillor Fintan McCarthy, who proposed the defeated motion to defer rezoning, yesterday expressed his disappointment that such a "fundamental" decision was made in the absence of a comprehensive report being drawn up. He said Liffey Valley, while being conceived as a "town centre" for Lucan/Clondalkin, actually lay in a peripheral corner of this area. It was also "poorly served" by public transport.
However, Labour Councillor Eamonn Tuffy, who voted against Mr McCarthy's motion and whose daughter Joanna proposed a similar motion in 2002, said the redesignation of Liffey Valley would bring many improvements, such as residential development, recreational amenities and civic spaces.
"I was opposed to the original Quarrvyale development; it's not the true 'town centre' in any real sense. But Liffey Valley is there now and we have to accept that, whether we like it or not."
While council planners are enthusiastic about an expansion of Liffey Valley, other obstacles may yet prevent such a development. Treasury Holdings, which now owns the rival site at Balgaddy, has been watching developments closely. It wants the council to stand by its original plan, dating back to the 1970s, for retail development to be concentrated at Balgaddy.
An Bord Pleanála has also shown scepticism about the expansion of Liffey Valley. Four years ago, it refused planning permission for a scheme that would have doubled the size of the centre, largely because of fears of traffic congestion.
