Major Liffey Valley plan gets green light

AN OLYMPIC standard indoor ice arena with seating for 2,500 spectators is included in plans for a major expansion of Liffey Valley Shopping Centre that got the green light last week.

Already one of Ireland’s best know shopping and leisure centres, Liffey Valley will also soon have an additional 22,000 sq mts of retail space and a major new European-scale urban plaza.

The new ice arena will be capable of hosting international ice skating competitions, ice hockey matches and ice entertainment performances.

Brian Moran, Senior Managing Director of Hines Ireland who are behind the plans, welcomed last week’s decision to approve the project.

“We are absolutely delighted that planning permission has been granted,” he said.

“We now have a visionary plan approved which will redefine Liffey Valley as both a shopping and retail experience and also as a leisure and recreation destination.”

Earlier this year, detailed studies commissioned by Hines predicted that spending and population growth in Liffey Valley’s catchment will outstrip growth in supply over the next five years. 

As part of its application to South Dublin County Council, Hines initiated an architectural competition to come up with a world class design for the proposed new retail and leisure spaces at Liffey Valley. 

US architects RTKL were selected having devised a visionary design that envisages transformative new civic spaces being added to the existing building at Liffey Valley.

“The decision is a welcome endorsement of our aim to ensure strategic forward planning and the sustainable development of Liffey Valley into the future,” Moran added.

“For the past two years, we have been developing a new vision of Liffey Valley via a series of works in the centre itself and the new Western End extension.

“This new additional public space will provide an additional mixed leisure entertainment, commercial and retail extension creating an active public environment, which fully resonates with the local community.”

The Western End extension is due for completion at the end of 2016 and will have over 7,000 Sq mts of retail space, 3,774 Sq mts of restaurant space and the 14 screen fully refurbished VUE cinema.