The Dublin area will need almost 250,000 housing units over the next eight years, Dublin City Manager, John Tierney has said.

Speaking at a conference on high-rise development, he said the council had discussed proposals to introduce high-rise and high-density housing in parts of the city and plan to use public transport hubs, urban centres like Rathmines and Finglas and unused industrial areas like the Docklands, for development.

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He said there is a clear link between housing density and productivity, and claimed that urban sprawl is causing increased congestion.

However, DIT lecturer Conor Skehan criticised the spatial strategy. He said two-thirds of the population will be living within 35kms of the east coast by 2030. But, he claimed there are no plans to cater for the predicted growth in the east of the country.

Residents and heritage groups also voiced concerns about loss of quality with higher density developments.

The high-rise proposals are to face another period of public consultation with the process taking up to a further six months before any strategy is agreed.

(VB/NS)