Significant changes will have to be made to the massive development scheme proposed for Spencer Dock before Dublin Corporation will grant planning permission for it, city councillors have been told.
Mr Sean Carey, assistant city manager in charge of the corporation's planning and development department, said the planners were also "very concerned" about the height of buildings in the scheme and also about its volume, at 6 million sq ft.
There was a mixed reaction to the scheme at the city council's planning committee meeting yesterday. Both Ald Carmencita Hederman (Ind) and Cllr Ita Greene (FF) described it as "the most exciting development" ever proposed in Dublin.
But Mr Tony Gregory TD (Ind) said the council was being "blackmailed into accepting this New York-style development" in order to secure the National Conference Centre, while Cllr Ciaran Cuffe (Green Party) said the centre would be "dwarfed" by the high buildings behind it.
Cllr Sean O Cionnaith (WP) believed that the entire scheme would turn Spencer Dock into a "shadow-land", dominating the communities around it, and Senator Joe Costello (Labour) suggested the scale was so large that it would be "a mini-Manhattan, a city in itself".
However, his party colleague, Cllr Joe Connolly, described the scheme as "a vision of magnificence". Two Fianna Fail councillors, Mr Eoin Ryan TD and Mr Ivor Callely TD, also saw it as "a very positive step" which would bring more off-season tourists into Dublin.
Cllr Alan Robinson (PD) joined in welcoming the scheme, saying it would relieve some of the development pressures in the city centre. But Cllr Dermot Lacey (Labour) described it as "a very greedy application" and said there was a need for a thorough economic analysis.
Mr Pat McDonnell, the corporation's chief planning officer, said Spencer Dock was a site of national importance because of its sheer size, at 51 acres, and proximity to the city centre. Its redevelopment would provide a focus for the whole Docklands area.
But he told councillors that there was "a lot more work to do" before a decision could be made and he detailed a series of "development principles" that should govern its planning. These included the provision of night-time uses and proper public transport.
Mr Carey said the corporation was "very concerned about the height" of many of the buildings, which rise to a maximum of 95 metres (Liberty Hall is 59 metres).
Details relating to social housing also had to be "teased out", he said.
