Liffey bridge gets planning approval

Residents of Dublin's docklands have criticised An Bord Pleanala's decision to approve a controversial new bridge across the Liffey, but Dublin Corporation said it was "delighted" the project could now proceed.

Construction of the £20 million bridge, which will connect Guild Street in the north docklands with Cardiff Lane and Macken Street on the southside, will begin in the middle of next year and be completed by 2004. Work is already underway in the west of the city centre on a second bridge designed by the same architect, Dr Santiago Calatrava.

One of the residents who opposed the scheme, Ms Betty Ashe, said yesterday she was "very, very disappointed" at the granting of planning permission.

"We thought, being laypeople, that Dublin Corporation made a very poor case and that we had made a very strong one. This scheme is all about glamourising O'Connell Street and shifting the traffic east and west. The result will be increased traffic and pollution in an area where there's very high pollution already," Ms Ashe said.

However, the city engineer, Mr Michael Phillips, said he was "absolutely delighted" at An Bord Pleanala's decision. The bridge would be a focal point for the docklands area and a "signature" for the city as a whole. "We're disappointed that the residents are so much against it, but it means the corporation will have to work with them, if possible, to prove that the bridge can and will enhance the area," Mr Phillips added.

The Dublin Transportation Office also welcomed the decision, saying the new bridge had been "a key element of transport planning in the city for many years". Among the benefits predicted by the DTO were reduced congestion and pollution in the city centre.

Dr Calatrava is the world's leading bridge designer, with more than 50 commissions to his credit in countries including his native Spain, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and the US.