Dublin’s long-awaited MetroLink project has been hit by another setback after a group of south Dublin residents lodged a High Court judicial review, prompting strong criticism from the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. The organisation warned that the challenge threatens the economic future of the capital and exposes what it calls an outdated planning system.
The application, filed on Monday by 20 residents from Dartmouth Square—a Victorian and early Edwardian neighbourhood between Upper Leeson Street and Ranelagh Road—seeks a judicial review of An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for the €9.5bn infrastructure project. BC Law LLP is representing the residents in Ryan & Ors v An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The residents are objecting to the scale of the development planned for their area, including the proposed Charlemont terminus, arguing the construction will worsen congestion and negatively impact property values. Some have previously said a more suitable terminus would have been at St Stephen’s Green.
The Dublin Chamber condemned the challenge, saying it risks derailing a project more than two decades in development. Eoghan Quigley, President of Dublin Chamber, said: “Dublin is being held hostage by an outdated planning system that allows critical national infrastructure to be endlessly stalled by a tiny minority.” He added that the judicial review “threatens the economic well-being of the entire Dublin region.”
Quigley insisted that the Government must now intervene decisively after years of research, consultation and hearings. “These judicial reviews are not about improving the project, they are about stopping it indefinitely. Dublin simply cannot tolerate this any longer,” he said.
The Chamber is urging the Government to pass emergency, fast-track legislation to prevent further delays. “The State has stepped in before to unlock vital infrastructure, and it must do so again,” Quigley stated. “When national progress is being blocked, Government has a responsibility to act.”
Warning of the wider consequences, he said continued obstruction is already damaging international confidence in Ireland’s ability to deliver major projects. “These reviews are not harmless paperwork. They are costing Dublin time, money and opportunity we do not have.” He added: “Every month of delay pushes Dublin further behind competing cities that are building, not stalling.”
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), which recently sent the project to tender, said it “regrets the inevitable delay” following three years of scrutiny and multiple rounds of public consultation. TII described MetroLink as “a transformational investment” essential to tackling congestion and serving a rapidly growing population. The organisation said it hopes the judicial review will proceed efficiently and that the Railway Order will be upheld.
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien told RTÉ that while all parties have the right to be heard, he hopes the issue can be resolved “fairly and as promptly as possible.”
MetroLink, the largest infrastructure project in the history of the State, has endured a series of setbacks over more than 20 years. Although planning permission was granted in October, construction is unlikely to begin before 2028, with completion expected sometime in the 2030s.
The broader debate over judicial reviews in Ireland has intensified in recent months. Last month, Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that judicial reviews were “killing us” in terms of delivering major projects, adding that Ireland has become an international “outlier” in public opposition to infrastructure.
The High Court has filed an affidavit on the case, with the application for judicial review scheduled to be heard next Monday.
