THE PLANNED €250 million winter sports arena and concert venue for Cherrywood in south Dublin is projected to contribute approximately €350 million each year to the Irish economy and support 2,760 jobs.

That is according to planning documents lodged with the application by Prime Arena Holdings Ltd to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

A planning report further states that the arena is to generate 1.5m visits annually where the project is expected to generate over 262,000 hotel bed-nights and attract 66,000 international visitors annually.

The report states that in addition “the proposed project could add significant activity, animation and recognition to the new Cherrywood Town Centre”.

On the ‘vision’ for the proposal, the planning report states that the Prime Arena “is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a national Winter Sports Hub”.

Located at Cherrywood, the development is to “create a state-of-the-art, two-rink facility comprising one Arena with an 8,000-person capacity for concerts and events, and a second Arena offering year-round, Olympic-standard ice access for schools, community groups, and elite athletes”.

The report states that the venue will also host the Republic of Ireland’s first professional Ice Hockey franchise, which will join the Belfast Giants in the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League.

The report further states that professional ice hockey will form the core use, with approximately 30 games per season, August to April.

Other events, including concerts, comedy shows, sporting events, conferences and exhibitions, will occur year-round and may take place on any day of the week.

The report states that concerts and major sporting events can attract up to circa 9,000–10,500 attendees, while typical attendances are lower, including around 5,000 for ice hockey games, 6,000–8,000 for entertainment events, and 2,000–2,500 for conferences.

A second rink will be publicly available year-round supporting new amateur clubs, collegiate ice hockey and a wide range of ice-based sports for athletes of all abilities.

Chairman of Premier Sports Ireland Mickey O’Rourke is a shareholder in the venture through his TDL Media.

In a letter of support, O’Rourke has told the Council: “We would fully support the creation of a Dublin-based professional ice-hockey franchise, as the viewership that emanates from Ireland for professional ice-hockey clearly demonstrates an appetite for the sport within the country.

He says: “The Belfast Giants were always a successful regular feature on Premier Sports broadcast schedules, and we would imagine fans down south would jump at the opportunity to see a new professional sports franchise in the capital city.”

Concert promoter Denis Desmond’s Gaiety Investments UC are also a shareholder in the venture.

In a separate letter of support from the head of Commercial Operations at the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), Mark Brooks says that “we are extremely excited about the potential to expand and establish a Dublin-based professional ice hockey franchise”

Brooks says that “the addition of a Dublin franchise would represent a significant expansion of the League into a new jurisdiction”.

President Lochlann Walsh and CEO Peter Sherrard of the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) have stated that the development of a permanent ice facility is a strategic priority for the OFI.

CEO of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Chamber Colette O’Sullivan said that the €225 million investment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown economy

O’Sullivan said that “we commend the public-private partnership structure, where a proposed €66 million Government contribution will leverage €159 million in private investment, ensuring excellent value for money and significant community return”.

A decision is due on the application in late December.