Developer hoping for big spin-off from wheel

HE MAY have a head for big business, but developer Harry Crosbie does not have a head for heights.

Launching the latest attraction for Dublin’s docklands, the Wheel of Dublin, Mr Crosbie told reporters he had vertigo and would not take a trip up in the 60m-high contraption.

Mr Crosbie said he hoped the attraction would help draw visitors to the Point Village. Development of the village had been slower than originally planned because of the recession, he said. It had been “incredibly difficult”, but they had managed to keep going and were opening various parts of the village incrementally.

“We didn’t owe a huge amount of money, that is the real big thing. We bought this place many years ago for small money and we don’t owe a huge amount of money so we should be OK,” he said.

The wheel, about half the size of the London Eye, was nearing completion yesterday.

It will open on Saturday morning and will operate every day from 10am to 10pm. It will feature 42 capsules that can each take eight people at €9 per person for a 13-minute, four revolution trip.

The wheel will offer 360 degree views of the capital and Dublin’s coastline. It will be operated by World Tourist Attractions and will be wheelchair accessible.

Next to the O2 at the Point and the new Luas Point station, the wheel is also close to the recently opened Gibson Hotel. The hotel cost €80 million to develop and with its five-storey glass-fronted atrium, it will rival the wheel for views over the capital.