'Suas' developer believes Dublin's cable car can still get off the ground
Dublin’s dormant ‘Suas’ cable car could be revived only if the developer can gain a planning application for towers and terminals along the River Liffey.
Developer Barry Boland says the long-stalled cable car project , first proposed in 2006, is ready to re-enter the planning system. He argues the only barrier is permission to use of public plots of land on the quays.
When contacted for comment Dublin City Council stated the 2006 plan stalled because rights to use public land for support towers were not secured. The Council also notes An Bord Pleanala refused Strategic Infrastructure status in 2007, and no new pre-planning or planning request is on file.
However, Mr Boland has never given up hope that the project could get off the ground and says he wishes to offer a way for tourists to see the city from above and that it could act as a means to promote all the various attractions around Dublin. “You want to get involved in attractions but in Dublin they are so passive. Pub crawls are no good for kids and there are very few things you can actively do,” he said.
As a town planner and chartered surveyor who was involved in the development of the town centres for Shannon and Charleville, Mr Boland traces the idea to a 2005 trip to Barcelona, where he rode the Montjuïc cable car. He says the bird’s-eye view convinced him Dublin needed a similar city-spanning experience.
“When I went to get off there was a queue of people waiting to get on. I thought what a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and see the city,” Mr Boland said. “So I came back with the idea of doing it in Dublin.”
Mr Boland engaged Roughan & O’Donovan engineers and cable car specialists Doppelmayr/Garaventa, saying around €1.5 million has been spent on design and studies. The concept envisages four river-spanning towers—two about 80 metres and two about 60 metres—with terminals near the 3Arena and in a small park beside the Ashling Hotel close to Heuston Station.
Tower points include Custom House Docks, near the Abbey Theatre, close to City Hall with a pedestrian link, and beyond the Four Courts toward the Guinness Storehouse. He frames the Suas as an entertainment attraction rather than public transport. The visitor experience would include a short film prelude, a roughly 30-minute ride over the Liffey, and time to purchase merchandise at each terminus.
Tickets were previously pitched at about €25 return. Mr Boland envisages tie-ins with hop-on hop-off buses so visitors can spot key sights from above and then make their way to them at street level. He likens the project to the London Eye, Singapore’s Sentosa cable car and Hong Kong’s Peak Tram funiculars. “We’re not in the transportation business, we’re in the entertainment business,” he explained.
Mr Boland accepts that public reaction to this plan has always been split, with him stating previous responses indicating around 50% in favour and 50% against. However, he cites the Spire’s early controversy as a divisive but ultimately accepted attraction and reiterates that Dublin needs more interactive, family-friendly attractions rather than purely passive ones.
With early estimates putting the cost at around €80 million, Mr Boland claims he’s ready to submit a planning application but says this has been blocked by the council. He believes it’s important to allow the Suas idea to progress to a point where public consultation can begin and Dubliners can have their say on whether this is something the city really needs.
Local representatives have shown interest in exploring the idea. Labour Councillor Dermot Lacey previously argued the proposal deserved a fair hearing to test it through the planning system.
Dublin City Council ’s full statement on the ‘Suas’ project is as follows:
“The proposal to install a cable car above the River Liffey known as the “Suas” project did not progress through the planning process in 2006 as it is understood the developer was unable to secure the necessary permissions for the use of public land to accommodate the support towers required for the cable cars. Furthermore, an application to have the project designated as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) was refused by the then An Bord Pleanála in 2007, and the project did not proceed to planning consent stage.
"Any similar proposal for a cable car above the River Liffey will be required to go through the standard planning process, which will include an assessment of its policy compliance with the Dublin City Development Plan 2022–2028, environmental assessment and public consultation.
"Dublin City Council has not received a pre-planning request or a planning application for any proposed cable car development within the city.”
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