Diageo outlines ‘world-class’ St James’s Gate site concept to developers
GUINNESS-OWNER Diageo has prepared a report for potential developers of part of St James’s Gate which outlines the company’s vision for the site following a wide-ranging consultation process.
As first revealed by the Sunday Independent last year, Diageo is to redevelop 12 acres of its property in Dublin 8 for housing, offices, shops and businesses to create a new quarter for the city.
Property players Hines, Ballymore — in partnership with Oxley — and U+I are on the final shortlist to develop the project with the successful company due to be announced in the New Year.
Liam Reid, corporate relations director with Diageo Ireland told the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) annual conference last week that given the development would be a long-term project which would have lasting consequences for the city, it embarked on extensive consultation.
In a programme called ‘conversations at the Gate’, Diageo engaged with more than 150 national and local stakeholders. As Ireland is in the middle of a housing crisis, Reid said he was unsure what type of views the process would get back but he said it had been very positive.
This feedback has been collated by DCU’s professor Kevin Rafter and his report has been submitted to all the potential development partners who have been asked to consider the report in their plans. An announcement is expected next year.
Initial advice from experts was that the brewer should sell the site. “We decided that would be the wrong thing to do, and a missed opportunity,” Reid said.
The company’s leadership has ‘set an ambition’ to build a world-class urban centre. Initially around 16 developers expressed an interest in working on the site. It was narrowed down to six earlier this year and it now down to three firms.