A total of 31 community and preservation groups in Dublin's docklands area have united to oppose high-rise developments in the urban regeneration plan.
Resident and tenant groups from Ringsend, Irishtown, East Wall, North Wall, City Quay, South Lotts and Pearse Street have particularly targeted developments at Spencer Dock where there are plans for a national conference centre.
A spokesman for the group, which is supported by An Taisce, said high-rise schemes planned for the docklands were developer-led, with an overriding concern for profits, not the communities living there.
"When people talk of urban regeneration they tend to think demolition and rebuilding. You can't demolish the existing community, but this is exactly will happen if it is forgotten in the rush to build high-rise apartments. They all tend to divide and alienate ancient and vibrant communities," said the spokesman.
The group wants all major docklands development effected through integrated area action plans (IAAP) or schemes involving the community at the planning stage.
"The long-promised scientific planning exercises to find out which parts of the city might be appropriate for high-rise development have failed to materialise," the spokesman said.
The communities "largely welcome the rejuvenation of the Dublin docklands and support the aspiration in the Docklands Master Plan" but insist that planning must be carried out in consultation with the communities and "must take account of their social and other needs so that they can flourish and be sustainable".
