RDS to lodge plans for new Anglesea Stand for Ballsbridge arena
Gordon Deegan
A planning application is to be lodged in the coming days by the Royal Dublin Society (RSD) for a new Anglesea Stand at its arena in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
According to the statutory planning notice, the application involves the demolition of the existing Anglesea Stand and Anglesea Terrace and the new stand is to accommodate 6,775 patrons and consist of three levels along with a two-storey hospitality building.
The RDS was originally granted planning permission for a new Anglesea stand in August 2018 but that planning permission has now lapsed requiring the new application to be made.
According to a spokesman for the RDS, "subject to planning and funding, ideally, construction will commence in August 2024".
Confirming the €50 million cost on the project, the spokesman said: "The project has been fully costed and will comprise of RDS funds as well as Philanthropy and Government support."
On the new for the new stand, the spokesman said: "The existing Anglesea Stand was built in the 1930’s and no longer meets modern requirements for players, performers and overall customer experience.
On the benefits of the new stand, the spokesman said: "The regeneration of the Anglesea Stand, will deliver a modern, multipurpose venue for sporting and live performance events with a capacity of 21,500."
He said: "It will be the home of Leinster rugby and the RDS Dublin Horse Show with an ambition to provide state-of-the-art facilities to showcase the best of all sports including women’s football and rugby.
Redevelopment plan
The planning application follows Leinster Rugby agreeing to a new 25-year lease for the stadium last October.
Commenting in February on the redevelopment of the arena at the RDS, Leinster CEO, Shane Nolan said that "the funds are there to make it happen”.
He said: “There’s a real pace happening in it now, which is great. I've seen early sights of the vision of the stadium and it looks really, really good.”
In a written Dáil reply to local TD, Jim O’Callaghan earlier this year, Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Thomas Byrne TD stated that €10 million Government funding under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund granted in 2020 for the RDS Main Arena Development Project remains in place.
The new planned 6,775 Anglesea Stand is slightly larger than the permitted 6,481 granted planning permission in 2018.
Documents lodged with the 2018 plan estimated that the new stand would increase the then €24.7 million annual spend by Leinster rugby supporters attending rugby matches at the stadium.
The existing Anglesea stand was built in the early 1930s and can accommodate 5,743 in rugby mode.
