Dublin Docklands Development Authority

Dublin Docklands Development Authority

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority was created by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social and economic regeneration in the East side of Dublin.

Mission Statement

The DDDA developed the Dublin Docklands into a world-class city quarter paragon of sustainable inner city regeneration - one in which the whole community enjoys the highest standards of accesses to education, employment, housing and social amenity and which delivered a major contribution to the social and economic prosperity of Dublin and the whole of Ireland.

Key Statistics

• Project launched 1997
• Development Area - 520 ha (1300 acres)
• To date Dublin Docklands has attracted over €3.35 billion of public and private investment
• 92.9 acres (37.2 ha) under Section 25 Planning Schemes
• Creation of 40,000 new jobs
• 11,000 new homes of which 2,200 (20%) are social and affordable
• Population growth from 17,500 (1997) to 22,000 (2008)
• Total development commenced in the first 5 years 380,000 m2

The Project

The Project extended over 520 hectares, at the core of which were former Dockland areas comprising some 100 hectares of substantially derelict or low value industrial land.  The various communities lying in the area outside of this core comprised some 17,500 people.  Although there was a very strong and active sense of community, the area had severe economic and social problems.  In particular, unemployment was, in 1997, averaging 30% and only 35% of the children were still attending school in the Leaving Certificate year.

The Docklands Project radically changed the whole area, not only through major phases of mixed use property development but also by involving local people in the planning of that and by fostering and investing in educational and other social interventions.  These interventions aimed to develop social and economic capacity in order to ensure that the Area development was truly sustainable.

Every five years the Authority created a Master Plan for the Dublin Docklands Area.  The  last 2008 Master Plan outlined the strategy for the social, economic and physical regeneration of the Area.