THE OWNERS OF St Stephen’s Green shopping centre in Dublin have revamped their €100 million rejuvenation plan for the centre in response to Council concerns.

In revised plans lodged with Dublin City Council, Davy Real Estate has added additional retail, food and beverage uses along with a two screen cinema to the development.

In March, the Council told Davy Real Estate entity, DTDL Ltd that it had “serious concerns” over the planned reduction in retail, food and beverage floor space in the rejuvenation mixed use scheme for the St Stephen’s Green Centre which first opened in 1988.

Now, in revised plans lodged, the applicants are proposing to replace a planned first floor office plan with a new mall with additional retail, food/beverage and cultural uses.

DTLD Ltd are also planning a new cinema at basement level with capacity for 180 persons across two screens along with art exhibition space at first floor level and a new ’town-hall’ space.

The applicants are also proposing a re-design overhaul of the scheme by BKD Architects.

In a planning report lodged, planning consultants, John Spain & Associates state that the revisions also include a new publicly accessible restaurant at 4th floor level with feature scenic lifts.

The proposed plan as seen from King Street South Model Works Ltd Model Works Ltd

Spain states as part of the development, there will be 25,989 sq m of publicly accessible uses which is a drop of only 398 sq m on the 26,387 sq m of publicly accessible areas in the development today.

Spain states that the revised plans “include for a variety of uses across multiple floors within the development”.

Property Consultants, Bannon has told the council that the redevelopment will be very positive for Dublin’s retail core and improve the retail offering in terms of retail and Food and Beverage (F&B) offering while addressing the current deficit at the centre in the availability of larger retail units.

Bannon state that the upper floor retail space in the existing centre “is fundamentally flawed and has in the long term proven to be unviable and of no benefit to the centre”.

Bannon state that half of the second floor retail space “is vacant whilst a further third is occupied by retailers who fail to derive sufficient customers to cover their overheads”.

The report states that the upper floors have failed to attract sustainable retail operators for over 30 years “which are now either vacant or occupied by retailers on life support with unviable businesses”.

Davy Real Estate has added additional retail, food and beverage uses along with a two screen cinema to the development. Model Works Ltd Model Works Ltd

Bannon also state that the quality of retailer interest in the ground floor units has lagged the market due to the poor layout, configuration and profile of the units.

Bannon state that there has been no retailer interest in the upper floor units despite vacancy levels across the market.

Bannon further state that empty retail shops are of no benefit to the Grafton Street area “and repurposing failed or failing retail space to accommodate office workers within the retail core who will support the vitality of the city centre”.

A decision is due on the application later this year.