CIE is to proceed with large office and retail developments at Tara Street DART Station in Dublin city and at the site of the new Barrow Street station in Dublin 4, The schemes are designed to provide a long-term income flow for the company. It is also planned to provide a 200-bedroom hotel and a multi-storey car-park at Heuston railway station.

CIE is assessing 15 tenders to redevelop Tara Street, the busiest DART station with around 25,000 passengers per day.

The final proposal will include a two-level concourse with about 20,000 sq ft of retail space and a high-rise office block of possibly between 150,000 to 200,0000 sq ft of office space. The successful tenderer will also have an option to build an 80 to 100-bedroom hotel in the "airspace" over the station.

The developer should find it easier to get planning permission for a high-rise scheme following the granting of planning consent for an 80-metre tower, which will form the centre-piece of an office and apartment scheme on the adjoining site owned by Cosgraves at George's Quay. It is now before An Bord Pleanala.

CIE estimates that Barrow Street, where work is to start next month, will become the second busiest DART station because of the number of apartment and office schemes either under way or planned for the area. The State transport company is inviting proposals for the development of a site of almost one acre beside the Barrow Street station. It has frontage on to both Barrow Street and the Grand Canal Dock and adjoins the 1.5-acre Dock Milling site, which was recently sold for £8.8 million to Limerick developer Michael McNamara. The scheme is likely to include a mixture of offices, apartments and shops.

Zoe Developments, which is likely to be one of the companies tendering to develop the site, is awaiting a ruling by the planning appeals board on the decision by the city planners to grant permission for about 600 apartments and townhouses and an office scheme on the former Bord Gais Eireann site on the opposite side of Barrow Street.

CIE is shortly to invite proposals for the development of a hotel and a multi-storey car-park with 1,000 spaces on the site of the existing car-park at Heuston Station.