An oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála on the proposed redevelopement of Landsowne Road got under way today (10am) at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin and is expected to last for one week.
Plans to redevelop the Dublin 4 venue at a cost of €300million were passed by the Dublin City Council but have since been appealed - mainly by local residents - to An Bord Pleanála.
There are a total of 53 parties involved in the appeal, whose main concerns are the height of the proposed new 50,000 capacity stadium, the demolition of a house on Shelbourne Road plus flooding consequences and loss of part of the Dodder walkway adjacent to the existing ground.
The redevelopment plan was submitted by the Irish rugby and soccer bodies (IRFU and FAI) to transform the existing 36,000 stadium into a state-of-the-art 50,000 all-seater venue. The Government have agreed to finance the project by way of a €200m grant with the two governing sports bodies to meet the remainder of the cost.
All international rugby and soccer matches next year have been moved to Croke Park where Ireland are due to host France (Sunday, February 11th, 2007) in the first of their two home fixtures in the Six Nations.
