In early 1996, the then Minister for Finance, Ruairí Quinn, extended the powers of the Custom House Docks Development Authority across the former gasworks site and on into the Poolbeg Peninsula. This was done on foot of requests by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland calling for a master plan for Dublin’s redundant docklands area and a development authority to oversee it.

Now, some 12 years on and with most of the docks between Pearse Street and the Liffey on the South side and the Spencer Dock up to the Point depot on the north bank now developed, attention is now on the Poolbeg peninsula.

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority, DDDA, held a pre-statutory consultation on Friday 30th May. The event began with an address by Mr. Paul Maloney of the DDDA, who spoke about the potential for developing the land from the Irish Glass Bottle site (above) all the way to the far end of the power station.
More speakers from the DDDA followed this with slides showing the audience the wonders of the now-developed docklands and the benefits for the community from development.

After the presentations, people were invited to join workshops under the headings of transport, community gain, planning and the environment.

The planning group wanted the Poolbeg to be ‘an extension of Ringsend’. The transport group called for more roads in Sandymount to service such new developments and insisted on getting the eastern bypass built to accommodate traffic.

The environment group objected to any further building on the Poolbeg, as it was adjacent to a SPA, which they said would be damaged by people living there and also that the land in future would be prone to flooding from rising sea levels due the melting of the polar ice caps caused by global warming and climate change.

Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolin said that development on the Poolbeg would be good if our children and their children could stay in the community that they grew up in. Councillor Pat McCartan said “this was very serious and had consequences for the next 50 or 100 years, it has to be got right.”

I asked Chris Andrews T.D. from Fianna Fáil about the environment workshop’s position on the dangers of rising sea levels due to global warming and he replied that he was not a scientist and could not comment. He said, “that’s all up for discussion and we will listen to people’s views.”

I asked the former Minister and Dublin South East T.D. Ruairí Quinn whether he thought it right to build in an area that may well be flooded. He said “I think the Dublin Docklands are right to develop the Poolbeg. I think they have to take into account global warming and rising sea levels. I think it is a design issue that has to be addressed but I think in principle that the re-development of the Poolbeg Peninsula so close to the heart of the city centre with a substantial extra population of up to 20,000 people living there is a positive thing. I think that there has been a change of attitude to high-rise buildings.

A view expressed succinctly by one Ringsend resident was that if she had to choose between a 12 storey building somewhere in the Docklands area that would provide accommodation for her children and their family and their grandchildren, as distinct from the daughter living in Mullingar or in Carlow, then she would vote for the 12 storey building in Docklands.”

I noticed at this important meeting that no Green Party representatives were present, even with local T.D. John Gormley as Minister of the Environment with powers over the DDDA.

Former Pembroke Green Party Councillor Claire Wheeler said “It’s extraordinary that the Greens were apparently the only party not invited to the meeting, with John Gormley being Minister for Environment as well as a popular local TD. While we have no councillors here at present, we are very active on the ground.”

Claire Wheeler went on to say that Dublin Bay is a fantastic world-class natural amenity, treasured by locals from Ringsend and Sandymount, Dubliners in general and visitors too. “Poolbeg is integral to the SPA nature reserve of South Dublin Bay, not to the traditional Docklands. Development and human activity here on such an enormous scale could finish off the Poolbeg for the brent geese.

“There is already an extremely fine balance between nature conservation and recreational use. As Dublin becomes more densely built-up, it is increasingly important to preserve open spaces like Sandymount Strand and Poolbeg. People come here to get away from urban buildings, to enjoy a bit of natural wilderness, for recreation in the literal sense.”

Local Councillors Dermot Lacey and Kevin Humphries of Labour were there along with Sinn Féin’s Councillor Daithí Doolin and Councillor Pat McCartan of Fine Gael. Dail Deputies Chris Andrews T.D. from Fianna Fáil, with Labour T.D. and former Minister Ruairí Quinn were among the breakfast diners. Community Representatives from Ringsend Community Centre, the Spellman Centre, local sports clubs, the Gardaí and heads of schools were all there.