Arnotts says €750m Dublin plan will ‘definitely proceed’
Dublin’s proposed “Northern Quarter” retail district, for which An Bord Pleanála has granted approval, “is definitely going to proceed” despite the credit crunch and the associated economic downtown, a spokesman for Arnotts said last night. The department store, which is spearheading the €750 million development, welcomed yesterday’s planning decision, saying it was “delighted” – even though the appeals board substantially reduced the scale of the scheme, including the omission of a 16-storey tower. A spokesman for Arnotts’ chairman, Richard Nesbitt, said the board’s decision “brings certainty to the whole Northern Quarter” after a lengthy planning process that had gone on for more than two years. The spokesman said Arnotts and HKR Architects, which designed the scheme – and then had to redesign it at An Bord Pleanála’s request – would be working with Dublin City Council in coming months to deal with the various conditions – 26, in all – laid down by the board.
