Serious questions raised over key elements of plan to revive Liberties area

Financial future of Liberties treatened

By John Roycroft

Key aspects of a plan to revive the inner city, which are in jeopardy due to Government ‘mishandling’, may deal a blow to the financial future of the area.

The Liberties/Coombe Integrated Area Plan (IAP) was due to come into operation on August 1. However, it has been put on ice because key tax incentives which underpin the plan are illegal under European law.

The incentives such as the double rent relief and local rates remission have played a major role in attracting private investment to the Customs House Docks area of the city, but may now not be available to businesses in the south west inner city. According to Declan Martin of Dublin Chamber of Commerce, there is a danger that the lack of incentives will prompt more businesses to move to the edge of the city around the M50 motorway.

The Liberties/Coombe IAP is also intended to regenerate the inner city through by addressing employment, environmental and economic issues. It was drawn up by Dublin Corporation and the South West Inner City Network (SWICN), along with local community representatives.

A spokesperson for SWICN noted that while the Corporation has commenced work on some projects involved in the plan, such as the issuing of compulsory purchase orders to premises on Cork St, the removal of incentives "may dissuade investors from developing the area."

However, Michael Stubbs, Project Manager for the plan in Dublin Corporation, believes that existing capital allowances for urban renewal plans to be sufficient incentive to attract external investment. "There may be some initial negative aspects in opinion towards the area by investors," he said, "but this will be compensated through capital allowances and various other schemes available through the plan."

Despite ratification for the plan being six months overdue, he says, the Corporation has used this time to commence key projects such as the Foyer project at Marrowbone lane.

The Government has come under fire for the delay in the plan, with Fine Gael TD, Brian Hayes, accusing it of "mishandling" the planning application, while Labour councillor, Eric Byrne, has called the Department of Environment’s planning application a "shambles".