Citywest (Irish: Iarthar na Cathrach) is a suburban development on the southwestern periphery of Dublin, originally developed as a "business campus."[1] It contains a large hotel with a convention centre, a small shopping centre and a small but expanding residential element.[2] Citywest is situated in the southwest of the traditional County Dublin, in the jurisdiction of South Dublin County Council; the nearest major suburban centre is Tallaght, while the semi-suburban village of Saggart is adjacent.[3][4] It is 13km south-west of Dublin city centre.
Citywest was launched as a project by Davy Hickey Properties, comprising developer Brendan Hickey and clients of Davy Stockbrokers around 1990, working with entrepreneur and landowner Jim Mansfield. The promoters secured land in the rural Kingswood and Brownsbarn areas near the N7 national road and targeted a mixed development, initially comprising a business park and a hotel and golf course complex, which eventually included some on-course accommodation. The concept was later extended, working with Harcourt Developments and Mansfield's HSS venture.[5] Harcourt and HSS provided 55% of the 150 million euro funding for the Luas light line extension to pass through the site. As of 2011, Davy Hickey Properties had secured permission for 150 residential units, along with two shops and more offices, and while HSS had gone into receivership, development of the site continued.[5]
Major companies based at Citywest have included Pfizer, SAP, Unilever,[5]Independent News and Media (the former main printing plant is visible from the N7), and Eir, who moved their headquarters to the campus.[6]
After the hotel and conference centre complex went into receivership, they were subject to various negotiations before being acquired by Tetrarch Capital in 2017. The two golf courses were modified a number of times, but by 2017 were described in a report of Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission as disused.[7]
Geography
The River Camac flows north of the business campus, and two of its tributaries pass through it.[8]
Access and transport
Following the opening of the original business park, the N82National road joining the N81 to the Naas dual carriageway was re-routed through the site, having previously passed through the village of Saggart.[citation needed]
Dublin Bus routes 65b, 69, 69x, 77a, 77x, and the 175 by Go-Ahead Ireland, as well as feeder services to Tallaght, and a private commuter bus operated by the business campus management, serve the campus.[citation needed]
Luas
The Luas Line A1 Citywest extension, from Belgard to Saggart, was officially opened at Citywest Drive on 2 July 2011 by the Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar. The following stops were constructed on the line - Fettercairn, Cheeverstown, Citywest Campus, Fortunestown (also serving Citywest Shopping Centre) and Saggart (also serving the Citywest Hotel and its golf course and convention centre). Citywest Campus is the main stop for the business campus, but parts are also served by Cheeverstown and Fortunestown stops. A park-and-ride facility was constructed at the Cheeverstown stop.
Amenities
Citywest Shopping Centre, anchored by Dunnes Stores, also holds a pharmacy, cafes, and other shops.[9] Other retail facilities in the area include a service station.[10]
Sport
A golf complex, previously the Citywest and Hibernian Golf Club, and now simply Citywest Golf Resort, was laid out; the Citywest Hotel, the largest in Ireland, with over 764 rooms,[2] was built adjacent. A 4,000 seat convention centre was also constructed. The hotel, golf resort and related developments were placed in receivership in mid-2010 but remained open.[11] There were two 18-hole courses in the golf resort - both designed by Christy O'Connor Jnr - and it hosted the Irish Masters in 1994 and the Irish Ladies Masters in 1996. Though described as disused in 2017, the resort hosted a golf club in 2019, the licence of which was terminated by notice in 2020, taking effect in March 2021.[12] In October 2020 the owners described both courses as not being financially viable.[13]
The hotel has been used for self-isolation and quarantine, and the conference centre as a vaccination centre, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citywest hosts a Dublin City University branch facility, the DCU Ryan Academy (previously part of a larger concept, the Eeolas Institute, which closed after major losses).
Three National Schools, one under the patronage of Educate Together and another under the patronage of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board, opened their doors in 2012-2014. As of 2014, Citywest Educate Together National School and Citywest & Saggart Community National School, were established at a temporary location in a building next to the Saggart Red Line Luas stop (Heritage Village Citywest), and in 2014 Scoil Aoife Community National School opened on Citywest Drive.
↑ Doyle, Joseph W. (2022). The Rivers and Streams of Dublin (City of Dublin, Fingal, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown) (2nded.). Dublin: Rath Eanna Research. p.53. ISBN978-1-9999497-3-0.
↑ Garvey, Maurice (14 October 2020). "Citywest Hotel owners seeking to rezone land for new housing". Echo.ie. Retrieved 28 June 2021. owners of Citywest Hotel are seeking to rezone ... to deliver "significant levels of affordable and senior living housing", and ... amenities such as new sports pitches, a community centre, public parks and greenways. Some of the housing is proposed to be built on land at the former 18-hole Citywest golf course, which closed earlier this year. ... the two courses are no longer financially viable
The N7 road is a national primary road in Ireland, connecting Limerick and Dublin. The majority of the route is motorway standard and is designated as the M7 motorway. At the Rosbrien interchange in Limerick the route continues as the N18 dual carriageway to Galway, Shannon and Ennis. The road passes through the midlands of Ireland, and acts as a trunk route out of Dublin for the N8 and N9 national primary routes to Cork and Waterford respectively. It forms part of European route E20.
Tallaght is the largest settlement, and county town, of South Dublin, Ireland, and the largest satellite town of Dublin. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.
Rathcoole is an outer suburban village in County Dublin, Ireland, south-west of the city of Dublin, and in the local government area of South Dublin.
Saggart is a village in County Dublin, Ireland, south west of Dublin city, in the local government area of South Dublin. It lies between the N7, Rathcoole, Citywest and Tallaght. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Ireland, with its population doubling between 2011 and 2022.
The Square Tallaght is a shopping centre located in Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland, opened in 1990. It is located 10 minutes from junction 11 of the M50 motorway on the Belgard Road and the N81.
The N82 road was a national secondary road in Ireland, and was located entirely in Dublin. The route was designated along the Citywest Road, which runs through the Citywest Business Campus between the N81 west of Tallaght and the Citywest Interchange of the N7.
The DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship is a unit of Dublin City University (DCU) in Ireland. Originally based at the Citywest business park between Saggart and Rathcoole on the southwestern edge of Dublin, and later at DCU's Innovation Campus at the DCU Alpha facility in Glasnevin, it operates a range of academic and entrepreneurial programmes.
The Red Line is one of the two lines of Dublin's Luas light rail system. The Red Line runs in an east–west direction through the city centre, north of the River Liffey, before travelling southwest to Tallaght, with a fork to Citywest and Saggart. The Red Line opened on 26 September 2004.
The R136 road is a regional road in Ireland, located in the southwest of Dublin. Named the Outer Ring Road, the route, which is dual carriageway, runs from the N4 at Lucan to the N81 at Tallaght, bypassing west of Clondalkin and crossing the N7 near Citywest. It was built as part of the planning for the new town of Adamstown.
Kingswood is a suburban area in County Dublin, Ireland, in the local government area of South Dublin. It is close to Tallaght, the county town of South Dublin, and to Clondalkin.
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. The development ran into a number of problems and was taken over by NAMA in April 2013.
Newcastle is a village in the south-western part of South Dublin county, Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of the same name. It was the location of the castle of the barony, which in historical and official documents is described as Newcastle-Lyons. The area is still primarily rural in nature. Newcastle village is within the administrative area of South Dublin County Council.
James Mansfield, Sr. was an Irish property developer and millionaire with a property portfolio that included the Citywest Hotel and Golf Resort, several developments local to the Saggart, Citywest and Tallaght areas, and Weston Airport.
The Point is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2009 as the terminus of an extension of the Red Line. Named after the nearby Point Depot, it serves the surrounding Point Village area and is situated in the middle of a plaza at the end of Mayor Street Upper, near Point Square, Host Point Student accommodation, and the 3Arena.
Tallaght is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2004 as the terminus of the Red Line.
Cheeverstown is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2011 as a stop on the extension of the Red Line to Saggart. The stop is located on a section of reserved track at the side of Katherine Tynan Road in the Cheeverstown area of south-west Dublin. The stop has a park and ride facility with 312 spaces.
Citywest Campus is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2011 as a stop on the extension of the Red Line to Saggart. The stop is located on a section of reserved track next to The Walk in the Citywest development in south-west Dublin which includes a hotel, golf course, shopping centre, and housing.
Fortunestown is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2011 as a stop on the extension of the Red Line to Saggart. The stop is located on a section of reserved track next to Citywest Drive in the Citywest development in south-west Dublin which includes a hotel, golf course, shopping centre, and housing. Fortunestown stop provides access to Citywest Shopping Centre.
Saggart is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It opened in 2011 as the terminus of an extension of the Red Line. The stop is located on a section of reserved track next to Citywest Drive near Saggart village in south-west Dublin. It is also close to Whitechurch and Baldonnel. To the north of the stop, a large area has been set aside for a development called Parklands, which is planned to include over 150 houses, two new schools, retail and a large sports area. As of 2020, development has begun onsite.
Belgard is a stop on the Luas light-rail tram system in Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the red line and is the junction for trams to Tallaght and Saggart. The stop is located on a section of reserved track at the side of Katherine Tynan Road in south-west Dublin, near the Belgard Heights housing estate.
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