High Rise construction projects in the Dublin area are to be severely restricted with developers facing new hurdles when planning the construction of multiple floor buildings in the capital.

This is expected to follow the introduction of the new Dublin City Development Plan next year.

Dublin councillors agreed to ban the construction of all buildings above 28m (92ft) unless a statutory plan called a Local Area Plan (LAP) was drafted for the area in question.

As such a plan could take several years to develop, this would effectively block the construction of any further high-rise or even medium-rise buildings in areas previously earmarked by the council for tall buildings such as the Docklands, Heuston and Connolly stations and George's Quay.

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The LAP is a development plan specific to a particular area and would have to specify maximum building heights allowed.

Until such a plan was approved all developments would have to remain low rise with these defined as up to six storeys in relation to residential buildings and seven storeys for office buildings or a maximum height of less than 28m.

However, by effectively deferring any decision on maximum heights, the city development plan is rendered worthless as a guide to developers as to where applications for tall building would be considered.

The draft plan will be released for a further round of consultation before being formally agreed by councillors later this year.

(BMcC/KMcA)