Developers asked to bid for 16-acre city flats site

Dublin City Council is expecting the country's top developers to vie for the opportunity to redevelop a 16-acre site containing the O'Devaney Gardens flat complex in Dublin 7 in partnership with the council.

While Dublin City Council says it is "open to ideas" for the site - which has a prime location close to Heuston Station, the Phoenix Park and is a 15-minute walk from city centre - its brief is that it should be a mixed use development with a residential element, sports and community facilities and retail space. Around 2.4 acres of the site is part of the adjoining St Bricins military hospital .

O'Devaney Gardens, which has 250 flats, most of which are occupied, will eventually be demolished and the occupants rehoused on a phased basis. Assistant City Manager Brendan Kenny says that while the flat complex is "in good shape" it is "very open" to anti-social behaviour as it contains "a lot of unutilised open space. What is needed is not refurbishment but a more radical job, full demolition".

He says the residents will be rehoused in "quality state-of-the-art accommodation" and will have the choice of staying on site or moving to another location. "It is up to the developer to submit ideas, which might involve them providing the social housing element free of charge or providing a capital subvention to the council. We are tapping into the fact that land prices are very high."

He estimates the social housing element will be in the region of 220-250 units, although some residents may opt to move out to other areas. There is likely to be around 150 affordable units and a private housing element "to provide a better social mix".

Given its proximity to the city centre and larger acreage, Mr Kenny reckons the scheme will attract even more interest than the Fatima Mansions redevelopment which received around 12 expressions of interest from top developers. Elliott Construction and St Moritz Construction Company have been awarded the contract.

He says the feedback from O'Devaney Gardens residents has been positive. "We feel a joint venture, public private partnership scheme will be a quicker way of doing it, as it could be years before doing a proper job if we were relying on the traditional way of doing things. The area will totally transformed, with more facilities for children; currently, these are "unacceptable". "We give a cast iron guarantee," says Mr Kenny, "that any profits Dublin City Council make from the venture will be spent in the area."