Dublin's docklands would be an ideal location for the proposed national sports stadium, the president of Dublin Chamber of Commerce said last night.
Challenging suggestions that the stadium should be built on the outskirts of the city, Mr Jim Ruane said the thrust of stadium planning elsewhere in the world was moving away from the greenfield model.
"Surely the docklands must be a prime candidate for such a project," he told members at the chamber's annual dinner in Dublin.
He said there was a danger of investment being driven out from the inner city to the M50 ring road, which had easier access to greater Dublin.
Tax incentives had been a vital ingredient of many inner-city development projects. However, it appeared that in return for negotiating a 12.5 per cent corporate tax rate with the EU - on which he congratulated the Government - certain tax incentives, including those for designated areas, would have to be removed.
"To be honest, I fear a `doughnut effect' will result, with the inner city in serious danger of becoming the hole in the middle. The development of new shopping centres and leisure facilities shows that this is a genuine worry," said Mr Ruane - who is head of corporate banking with Bank of Ireland.
