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OVER THE PAST year or so, Fora has taken a look at some of the more notable big-ticket projects that were planned during the Celtic Tiger period – or in the aftermath of its demise.
Most recently, we detailed the story behind a plan to build a sprawling luxury hotel in Kilternan, south county Dublin. Tools were downed on the project when it was about 90% finished, and it has lain empty in a near-complete stage for almost a decade.
For this installment, we’re going back to the centre of the capital to examine what could have been the tallest building in the country.
We previously looked at the U2 tower, a proposed skyscraper that would have been built on the south side of the mouth of the Liffey. It seems only right to look at its north-side counterpart, the Watchtower.
What is it?
The Watchtower was to be the centrepiece of the ‘Point Village’ project spearheaded by builder Harry Crosbie.
His vision was to develop a ‘city within a city’ that would feature offices, a huge shopping centre and a 250-bed hotel. The Watchtower would be the standout feature of the project – a huge 40-storey tower that would rise above the city.
At 120m it would be about the same height as the Spire and the proposed U2 tower. The two skyscrapers would have formed a kind of gateway to Dublin at the mouth of the river.
As the U2 tower never got off the ground, if the Watchtower had gone ahead it would have been the tallest building in the state.
The building would have been primarily made up of luxury apartments as well as some office space and an exterior rooftop bar and restaurant offering panoramic views over Dublin bay.
When was it first suggested?
While Crosbie was looking to progress his ‘Point Village’ dream for years, work seriously got under way in 2006.
What happened?
The entire Point Village scheme was given planning permission by the now-defunct Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) in 2006.
The foundations of the project were laid soon afterwards, and it looked like the Watchtower would beat its counterpart across the river and be the first skyscraper built in Dublin.
Then in 2008 the property market collapsed. The U2 tower was put on hold and almost immediately people started questioning whether the Watchtower was still feasible.
Crosbie insisted that the project was still viable, however it was reported in 2009 that he was in negotiations with the DDDA to change the tower so that it would be mainly composed of office, rather than residential, space.
This was done as the residential property market was virtually wiped out overnight. However, it soon became clear that the Watchtower was unlikely to be finished despite the fact that work had started on the building.
In 2010 Crosbie told the Sunday Times: “I have €15 million trapped in the ground. I had to cover it over and forget about it. We put huge amounts of work into it. Years . . . But it ain’t over yet. We don’t do giving up.”
Crosbie’s loans were transferred to Nama, and in 2013 the state bad-bank appointed receivers to the Point Village complex, consigning the Watchtower project to the scrapheap.
What’s the latest?
While the Watchtower is no more, like the U2 tower, something at least is to be built in its place.
The Nama-appointed receivers announced plans earlier this year to appoint a contractor to build a 79m-high structure called ‘the Exo’.
If completed, it would be Dublin’s largest office block. Planning permission for the 170,000 sq ft office building was approved in March 2016 under fast-track planning rules, and the hope is that it can be built over the next two years.
The building will now match the similarly scaled down Capital Dock scheme, which is being built on the site of the planned U2 tower.
While it looks likely that there will be two large buildings at the mouth of the Liffey, they likely won’t quite match Crosbie’s original vision.
Written by Paul O’Donoghue and posted on Fora.ie
Libraries are wonderful places and we need to get our kids off their phones and into the library.
I don’t want staff less libraries.
Is is really such a big drain on resources to staff a library?
We are ripping the soul out of our communities in our pursuit of cost saving.
What hyperbole. How does the library staying open a little later without staff ripping the soul of of a community?
Tom’s referring to the pursuit of cost savings, of which staffless libraries are a ludicrous example. If Lenihan hadn’t guaranteed unsecured bonds, and FG upheld his anti-capitalist action (secured bond holders pay a premium) we might have had extended hours with actual Irish workers manning the libraries and paid for their work.
Tailgating? These library’s must be huge.
Big enough to teach you the plural of library
The drunkenness and the children left unsupervised highlight a big flaw in this crazy idea, Health & Safety.
Another big flaw is the countless community events and children learning sessions which will no longer be run.
Well done to the councillors that voted against this.
@Paolo:
How much of this kind of behaviour happens when they are staffed? A comparison would be useful
Why couldn’t communities organise events in libraries regardless? The only blame’s on the stupid parents who drop their child off to use a library after dark with no staff there, as I see it. Why wouldn’t they pay a babysitter to look after their child?
In Fingal, last month FF, FG & so called Independents aligned to both parties came together to vote down my emergency motion to end the scheme.
Oh so staffless libraries are a success? It would be cheaper to hire actual staff than to roll out this nonsense! And destroying my livelihood..
It’s the twenty first century. Time to leave things like libraries, quills and penny farthing bicycles behind.
Seeing as how a person can get a book for free in a library, they’ll always have a certain advantage even over a kindle. Putting them in the same bracket as quills and penny farthings is beyond stupid.
Librarys are without doubt a wonderful amenity. And they do seemto keep up with the times. My only issue is with staff wages. Head librarians are pulling 60k – 70k. The person running the local supermarket is on half that…..
I didn’t say anythimg about switching to Kindles, but there is nothing stopping free book-lending from being done electronically. Personally, paper libraries are useless to be as I am vision impaired, yet I am expected to pay for them throug my taxes.
Ironically, the people tasked with bringing literature into the 21st century have n9 imagination, and continue to tinker around the edges with gimmicks like self-service libraries. Meanwhile, people who don’t live near a library are crying out for broadband services that could benefit everybody.
There’s nothing wrong with my eye sight, but yet in all I have to pay for the “blind persons” tax credit and relief through my taxes.
Libraries are also information and advice centres and are one of the places where citizens can get access to further education, official forms and publications, remedial education, groups and clubs, local announcements, talks etc.
There is usually a librarian and library assistants. The librarian would be qualified at third level in social sciences.
Staffless libraries are book-swap facilities and I’d worry they would excuse councils for continually cutting hours. Libraries in Dublin used to open until 8 every weekday and 5 on Saturdays. That has been cut since the 80s and once cut it doesn’t revert.
My local library still does open until 8 pm, and on Saturdays. In Dublin. Not sure how valid your other points are now.
You’re right about the lack of decent broadband, but where else can people get large print books short of buying them? Libraries have a lot more to offer than books too. A friend of mine got great service there after an eye operation. They have enlargers now for books, large keyboards, online access for people without web access, and DVDs and magazines. I couldn’t subscribe to all the ones I read and am glad to keep up with developments.
@Neal, not Neil.: tell me what library stocks quills and penny farthing bicycles because I’d like to have a look at them. Our library just has books and computers – the computers especially are in great demand and provide a great service.
I’ve been a member of Walkinstown library for 45 years and can honestly say that the staff are the reason that its such a wonderful institution. They brought in a machine a while ago that you can use to take out and return books but I won’t use it. The knowledge that the staff have in recommending authors based on your reading pattern can’t be replaced by machines . Sometimes the old fashioned way just doesn’t need changing and surely with extended opening hours as normal in most areas you don’t need access to an empty library ( unless you’re dropping the kids for free baby sitting ffs)
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