Launch of public consultation on Guinness’s St James’s Gate for Freedoms regeneration project
A public consultation will begin in Freedoms this week as work continues on preparing a masterplan for an ambitious regeneration project at St James’s Gate in Dublin.
now known as the Guinness Quarter, the mixed-use development will take more than 10 years and is designed as Dublin’s first zero carbon neighborhood.
The emerging plan, when finalized, is expected to contain proposals for up to 500 housing units on part of the iconic site, as well as offices, business units, community amenities and public spaces.
Guinness owner Diageo has invested in brewing technology in recent years and no longer needs the same amount of production space at St James’s Gate. Now he plans to develop 12.6 acres from his 50-acre site in the downtown south.
It is expected that a planning application will be submitted to Dublin City Council in 2022.
After a three-year selection process, Ballymore was announced as Diageo’s development partner for the project in 2020.
The company, headed by Sean Mulryan, has already been involved in major regeneration projects in the UK and Europe.
Diageo said he also intends to work with Iveagh Trust, one of the city’s largest social housing providers, as a partner in the project.
In a statement on his website, Ballymore said sustainability will be at the heart of the project.
The zero carbon ambition will see existing buildings on the site assessed for possible reuse and the potential of renewable energies will be explored, according to the company.
He described the plan as “the second chapter of the Porte Saint-Jacques” and “one of the most exciting regeneration programs in Europe”.
A week-long public engagement process will begin this Friday, October 29, and will take place daily at the iD8 studio at Digital Hub in the Liberties.
James Madigan, a member of the Liberties Cultural Association, said the organization was eager to participate in the public consultation phase.
“I encourage everyone who works or lives in the region to get involved and give their opinion on what is a major plan for Freedoms,” he said.