Point Village

Point Village
Office block development at the Point Village
Map
General information
LocationDublin, Ireland
Coordinates53°20′53″N 6°13′44″W / 53.348°N 6.229°W / 53.348; -6.229

The Point Village is a commercial and residential development in the North Wall area of Dublin, Ireland. The elements of the €800 million development completed to date include offices and residential and hotel accommodation, a small shopping centre, a cinema, a museum and a five-level underground car park.[1] The development ran into a number of problems and was taken over by NAMA in April 2013.[2]

Exo Tower, Dublin under construction in the Point Village area in June 2020

Development

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Completed projects

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Point Square

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The main building of the development - now branded as Point Square - containing the retail, hotel and cinema elements as well as office space - was completed prior to the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, however the retail element did not open except as an entry to the cinema.[3]

Dunnes Stores had agreed to be the anchor of the retail element, but has delayed opening the store for more than a decade, appealing repeated legal demands to do so.[4] Some of the internal units are to be combined and converted to health or leisure units due to continued low demand for retail [5] Dunnes Stores have since opened a supermarket in Point Square in December 2023. The office space has been taken by Oath,[6] moving some operations from their main location at East Point Business Park, and Voxpro.[citation needed]

The hotel element of the development operates as The Gibson Hotel, opened in June 2010 and including nine suites, with access to terrace gardens. It also includes a spa, gymnasium, two outdoor hot-tubs and large conference facilities.[7]

Other tenants include CrossFit and Freshii.[citation needed]

3Arena

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The 3Arena (formerly the O2 concert venue) opened in December 2008, built on the site of the former Point Theatre,[8] a music venue which operated from 1988 to 2007. Following its closure, the site underwent major redevelopment and was renamed after O2 phone company.[9] In September 2014, the music venue was renamed 3Arena, after O2 Ireland was sold to Three.[10]

Student accommodation

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Student accommodation provider Host has built a 996-bed unit named "Point Campus" to the North of the development, featuring retail on the ground floor, where tenants include Centra, Pita Pit and Camile Thai.[citation needed]

Other projects

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The 73m Exo Building was completed, in 2022, at the eastern end of Point Village.[11][12]

As of 2018, an aparthotel was under construction to the west of the 3Arena, filling the last empty site. This hotel was acquired by SACO, a UK based apart-hotel group, and was due to be operated by Lockeliving.[13]

Temporary or cancelled projects

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The Point Village Square hosted a market from May to November 2010,[14] as well as The Revolver, a €10m "observation wheel", from July 2010 until November 2011.[15]

The Dublin Flea Market held its annual Christmas event inside the Point Square building until 2018.[16][17]

There were plans to build a 120-metre skyscraper (called the "Point Village Watchtower") with apartments, offices and a bar and restaurant. Although the developer invested circa €15 in underground works, the project was later abandoned.[18]

Transport

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The Point is the easternmost terminus of the docklands extension of the Luas Red Line light rail system is located in the middle of the development. This Luas link to Tallaght and Saggart connects the Point Village to other transport options, including the DART, suburban rail, Busáras, mainline rail, and the future MetroLink. The Dublin Port Tunnel southern portal is located nearby.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Point Village / Watchtower". DDDA. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  2. ^ "NAMA takes control of Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and Point Village". RTÉ News. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Point Village Market to open today at Docklands". Irish Times. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Judge rejects 'Alice in Wonderland' claims by Dunnes over Point Village settlement". Irish Times. 30 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Point Square units could become leisure spots in light of an 'irrevocably changed' retail market". June 2019.
  6. ^ "Facebook tops list of Dublin office deals. Here's the full top 10". TheJournal.ie. 17 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Choice to open Gibson Hotel in Docklands next month". Irish Times. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  8. ^ Carroll, Jim. "Meet the new venue on the block – The O2". Irish Times. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Live Nation's Point Theater in Dublin to Be Renamed The O2". Reuters. 7 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  10. ^ Pattison, Brymor (9 April 2014). "Pictured: The O2 in Dublin is renamed as the 3Arena". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  11. ^ "The EXO Building". theexobuilding.com. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  12. ^ "The EXO". skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  13. ^ "North Docks Aparthotel Site To Get The Hipster Treatment After Brookfield/SACO Acquistion [sic]". www.bisnow.com. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Point Village Market". pointvillagemarket.ie. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
  15. ^ Bray, Allison (13 February 2010). "Point Village sets wheels in motion for its big attractions". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  16. ^ "Dublin Flea Christmas Market to take place next month". irishtimes.com. 17 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Dublin City Council is 'exploring' new sites for the Dublin Flea Christmas Market". TheJournal.ie. 19 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Dunnes settle Point row with Crosbie". Business World. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
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