Stadium redevelopment: The massive redevelopment of one of Ireland's most historic sports grounds, Lansdowne Road, was today given the go-ahead. Despite fierce opposition and a seven-month review of the project, planners unanimously gave the all clear for Irish rugby and soccer to get a new €350 million home.
The ageing ground will be turned into a sleek 50,000 all-seater stadium towering over the heart of south Dublin's affluent Ballsbridge. But 23 conditions have been imposed on the developers.
Included in these are limiting the number of concerts, which must be over by 11pm, to three a year, and special arrangements to keep disruption to local residents to a minimum during the two-year-long demolition and construction. Public access in and around the ground will also be restricted.
It is hoped the stadium could be open by the end of 2009 or early 2010.
Even though the redevelopment faced objections from 33 parties, mainly locals opposed to the mammoth building works, planning appeals authority An Bord Pleanála passed it. Local resident groups could still appeal to the High Court but have made no indication as of yet whether they will do so.
The board approved the plan because of Lansdowne's long association with sport adding the project would enhance the area and that Dublin needed a new modern sports arena.
The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue welcomed An Bord Pleanála's decision calling it an "enormously important decision which will benefit the development of sport in Ireland".
He said: "Lansdowne Stadium has been a part of Dublin history for 128 years and there are many great memories associated with it, whether international rugby or soccer marches or the many athletic events that were held there in the past. It is truely part of Dublin's 'rare old times' and it is wonderful that we can now look forward to an equally exciting future for this stadium."
The Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company said: "The decision is recognition of the fact that we consulted widely on the project and, where possible, tried to address the concerns of the local community in our final design. We fully appreciate that there are conditions that need to be met but we are confident that we can meet these."
Complaints centred on the stadium's height and design, inclusion of conference facilities, demolition of two houses, additional traffic and claims of a fall in property values.
The modern design will dwarf homes just a few yards from its huge stands. At its highest point it will tower 48.5m above nearby terraced cottages - that is 15m taller than the Gaelic Athletic Association's landmark stadium Croke Park on Dublin's northside.
The IRFU believe the go-ahead for a state-of-the-art stadium is "a fitting testimony to the game of rugby in Ireland"and that it will also be "a tremendous boost for Dublin City in terms of potential revenues emanating from the staging of major rugby and soccer events".
Uefa have promised to host a European Cup final in the redeveloped Lansdowne within a few years of its completion.
FAI chief executive John Delaney expressed his delight at the announcement and said this would be "one of the most significant developments ever for Irish football". He added it was "absolutely critical to the successful development of football long into the future".
Described as a continuous curvilinear stadium, covered all-seater stands, four tiers high, will flank the south, west and east sides of Lansdowne swooping down to a single tier at the northern end. The smaller North stand will house one low level of seating, reflecting its proximity to homes at that end of the ground.
Around the ground the second tier will be reserved for premium ticket holders and the third tier for corporate boxes. Ten thousand seats will be available at premium level and a further 1,300 at box level.
The LRSDC said many of these will be sold in advance to finance the project. Up to 40,000 tickets are being promised to the paying public.
The GAA congratulated the Government, IRFU and FAI in achieving planning approval. The decision marks a significant milestone in the provision of sporting infrastructure in Ireland, a spokesman said. The association wished all concerned with the project well and reaffirmed its commitment to hosting soccer and rugby internationals in Croke Park during 2007 and 2008.