Leaving €0.5bn Ballsbridge site would be last resort, says RDS chief

PULLING out of Ballsbridge, where it has a forty-two acre complex worth an estimated €0.5 billion, would be a last resort for the Royal Dublin Society.

But Chief Executive Michael Duffy told a press briefing at the opening of the five day Dublin Horse Show yesterday that the RDS plans to re-develop three acres of the prestigious site to increase revenue for its foundation activities in agriculture, science, industry and the arts.

He said a Board Pleanala decision on objections to a €100 million development at the complex was expected in mid-September.