Commercial Property

Dublin crane count rises to 58 in December

Irish Times Crane Survey finds 71% rise in cranes in city centre since February

There are four more cranes than there were in November, when there were 54, and 24 (or 71 per cent) more than the 34 cranes recorded on February 1st when The Irish Times Crane Survey was launched. Photograph: Alan Betson

Justin Comiskey
Wed Dec 7 2016 - 06:00

There were 58 construction cranes visible in the centre of Dublin on December 1st from the seventh floor of The Irish Times building on Tara Street.

This is an increase of four – or 7 per cent – on the previous month's total of 54 and a rise of 24 (or 71 per cent) on the 34 cranes recorded on February 1st when The Irish Times Crane Survey was launched.

Construction is still concentrated on the southside where there were 47 cranes – this is a rise of five (or 12 per cent) on the November total as building work ramps up on schemes such as the 1SJRQ development of 10,219sq m (110,000sq ft) of offices at 1-6 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in the south docklands.

Eleven cranes were north of the Liffey – a drop of one (or 8 per cent) on last month. However, this total could be set to rise rapidly as clearance work is underway at a number of substantial sites in the north docklands.

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Building work on the €150 million redevelopment of the ESB headquarters on Fitzwilliam Street in Dublin 2 is set to start early in 2017. One of the largest office developments ever in the capital, it will involve the demolition of 36,200sq m (389,653sq ft) of structure and its replacement with a 45,770sq m (492,663sq ft) scheme which will rise to seven storeys at the rear.

Demolition

At 10-12 Hogan Place in Dublin 2, demolition has started on a four/five-storey building which will be replaced with a six-storey structure extending to 5,657sq m (60,891sq ft).

Looking ahead, a likely construction trend in 2017 will be student accommodation springing up across the city centre. A 520-bed space development is underway at Gardiner Street in Dublin 1 which involves demolishing the former IDA Small Business Centre. Nearby, the Dorset Point scheme at 104-115 Dorset Street is also underway – it will provide 463 student bed spaces. Meanwhile, a ready-to-go site with permission for 935 student bed spaces near the Point Depot was recently sold for more than €20 million while another site at Summerhill has planning for 374 student bed spaces.

On the southside, student schemes at Wexford Street/Protestant Row in Dublin 2 and Blackpitts in Dublin 8 are either underway or have planning permission.

With the economy expected to continue its recovery and a number of significant developments due to enter the construction phase shortly, it is likely the number of cranes on Dublin’s skyline will increase.

The Irish Times will be conducting a crane survey once a month to track construction levels in the city.

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