€1 billion town centre project gets green light

THE largest single urban development project in Ireland has been given the green light.

Last week, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council approved plans for a new 2.1 million square foot town centre development at Cherrywood.

The €1 billion mixed-use development will include 1,269 build-to-rent apartments, 585,000 sq ft of retail and office space as well as high-amenity leisure space.

The council’s decision has paved the way for the construction of the Cherrywood Town Centre between Cabinteely and Loughlinstown in South County Dublin. The elevated site integrates the existing Luas stops of Cherrywood and Bride’s Glen while the dynamic new urban quarter will prioritise pedestrians and bike users.

It will incorporate both covered and open public spaces as well as an extensive array of shops, bars and restaurants, and a 200-room hotel and other leisure facilities.

It is expected that construction on the three-year project will commence later this year and provide 3,000 construction jobs. 

Cherrywood Town Centre will in time provide housing for over 3,200 people, office accommodation for 2,300 and employment for an additional 2,500 retail and leisure workers. 

The residential element of the Town Centre project is being developed in a joint venture agreement involving Hines and Dutch pension investor, APG Asset Management (APG).

Brian Moran, Hines senior managing director, thanked Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for giving their stamp of approval to the Cherrywood Town project, which will form the centrepiece of the wider Cherrywood strategic development zone (SDZ). 

“We can now bring to reality the great vision for this Town Centre,” he said.

“This will be a modern, vibrant and healthy urban environment for families, workers and visitors alike.

“Our new open-plan apartments will incorporate the latest designs in apartment living and we believe the active streetscape environment has the potential to become the blueprint for future urban design in Ireland.

“Today’s announcement also comes as we complete construction of the first phase of our infrastructure development project at Cherrywood, which includes three brand new flagship parks, a state-of-the art all-weather multipurpose pitch, six new tennis courts and a sports pavilion, 5.4 kilometres of roadways, pedestrian footpaths, cycle paths, greenways and over 3,000 trees.

“Having all these elements in place will ensure that this will be a modern, healthy and dynamic community from the very beginning for the 25,000 people who will make Cherrywood their home over the coming years. We will continue to work 

“n partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to that end.”

In addition to the Town Centre project, Hines has submitted a new planning application for 146 apartments, situated at the junction of Bishops Street and Tullyvale Road, its first application outside of the Town Centre.

The apartments will consist of one-bed, two-bed and three-bed units built over four blocks. 

Hines also recently submitted a separate planning application for the first new school within the Cherrywood development.

The Primary School at Tully Park is designed to accommodate up to approximately 700 primary pupils in 24 south-facing classrooms, with a dedicated special needs unit, a school hall, 192 bicycle spaces, green roofs, large outdoor play/courts area and sensory garden. 

The new school will be the first of six schools planned at Cherrywood as part of the overall Strategic Development Zone project.

It will be situated directly south-west of Tully Park, which will enable the school to avail of additional outdoor recreational facilities and open space within the new 22-acre park.

Hines Ireland has provided the fully serviced site for Tully Primary School to the Department of Education free of charge.

Hines worked closely with the Department of Education and Skills in relation to the proposed planning application for the primary school.

Once planning is granted, the development phase for the school, including the procurement of a contractor will be overseen by the department.

Minister for Education & Skills, Richard Bruton, said: “This is a great example of my department, the local authority and of course Hines Ireland, working together to ensure that future generations will have state-of-the-art education facilities to look forward to.

“We are building more school places than ever before – nearly 20,000 every year.

“This new school and the others we have planned for the area will be a fantastic addition to the Cherrywood community.”

Minister with responsibility for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, in whose constituency this new school will be located, added: “I am delighted for the families and parents of Cherrywood who will have this 21st century primary school on their doorstep.

“I have no doubt that this school will lead the way in best-in-class learning and development for local children.

“This visionary development means that the young families of Cherrywood will have a state-of the-art primary school for their children’s formative years in education.”

However, Richard Boyd Barrett, People Before Profit TD for Dun Laoghaire, said that while planning permission is welcome, “this major development will do little or nothing for those affected by the housing crisis”.