Dublin Port respond to proposal to move the Port to free up housing land
October 8, 2018
Suggestions by Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland president David Browne that Dublin Port should move out of the city to free up housing land are “reckless” and “damaging to the credibility” of architects, Dublin Port Company chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly has said.
Mr O’Reilly has written to Mr Browne in response to his address to the RIAI annual conference last Friday where Mr Browne said the port would eventually “have to move” from Dublin city.
Speaking at the opening of the event, Mr Browne said moving the port outside Dublin would present a “golden opportunity” for the development of the city.
Mr O’Reilly has castigated Mr Browne, branding the suggestion as “mischievous” having “potential great expense for the exchequer” and lacking “analytical rigour”. A 2009 National Development Plan study focusing on Dublin Port had recommended that nothing should be done to block either the proposed expansion of Dublin Port or the proposed development of a port at Bremore near Balbriggan, Mr O’Reilly said.
“Since 2009, we have continued to expand the capacity of Dublin Port and (for very good reasons) nothing whatsoever has happened to progress with the development of new port facilities at Bremore.”