Two large motor showrooms are planned for separate sites on the Navan road in north Dublin. DG Opel, which operates a large garage at New Cabra Road, has paid in excess of £5 million for the former Ashtown Tin Box Company premises opposite the disused Phoenix Park Racecourse. Closer to the city, Motor Services Ltd, which imports Mercedes, Mazda, Audi and Volkswagen, is also to seek planning permission for extensive showrooms on part of a seven-acre site which it recently bought for over £9 million near the junction of the New and Old Cabra roads.

Another major car importer is also known to be looking for a site along the Navan road for a substantial showrooms. Traffic on the Navan road out of the city has increased significantly since the opening of the Blanchardstown Town Centre. That complex is also expected to include a car showrooms over the coming year.

DG Opel's managing director, Michael Fitzsimons, is currently on holidays and could not be contacted. However, his company is planning to develop a new showrooms for its Opel range of cars on part of the four-acre site. Surplus space may be used for a number of projects including a second car showrooms, offices or a hotel.

DG Opel has operated a successful garage, showrooms and petrol filling station at New Cabra Road for many years but has little extra space to expand the business. The company will have no such restrictions at Ashtown, where the existing factory premises occupies only part of the site. The Ashtown Tin Box company premises was sold by Hickey Fabrics seven months after it acquired it for slightly over £4 million. Hickeys originally planned to move its headquarters to Ashtown but later decided to remain in its existing premises at Parkgate Street, opposite Heuston Railway Station. Hickeys was advised on the purchase of the Ashtown site by Finnegan Menton, which also handled the sale.

Finnegan Menton also advised Motor Services Ltd on the acquisition of the second site on the Navan road. Costello Commercial is advising DG Opel on the site.

The Ashtown site has industrial zoning in line with its most recent use by Purator Crest Foods. However, Fingal County Council is currently reviewing its development plan.

The existing buildings cover an area of 80,000 sq ft and there is about three-quarters of an acre of undeveloped land at the western end of the site. The seven acres acquired by Motor Services has 440 ft of road frontage at the start of the Navan road. It was sold by Douglas Newman Good for the Office of Public Works. A neighbourhood shopping centre is being built by businessman David Arnold on an adjoining 1.6-acre site.

A number of major developments are on the cards for the former Phoenix Park racecourse, which has been bought by Flynn and O'Flaherty for around £35 million. The new owners are expected to seek approval for town centre facilities including shops, bars, restaurants, a hotel, light industrial units and about 1,500 houses.

The 100-acre site is easily the best available on the north side of the city and was bought from Ogden Leisure after the venue failed to be chosen as the site for the national conference centre. Flynn and O'Flaherty has already secured planning permission to develop a town centre in Swords.