Pigeon House tender process riven with distrust and disputes long before it collapsed

The process to redevelop the historic site is now effectively over but Dublin City Council has said it intends to commence a new competition

The old Pigeon House power station: part of a seven-acre site in Dublin 4: it may be many years before its potential is realised

Allegations of “favouritism”, concern over a foreshore lease and paranoia about potential legal challenges were some of the issues facing the now-collapsed three-year tender process to redevelop the land at Dublin’s historic Pigeon House site.

The details of these controversies are contained in documents released by Dublin City Council (DCC) in response to a freedom of information request from Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE), which was an unsuccessful bidder in the tender process.

On request, DCC subsequently released a copy of those documents to the Business Post. They shed light on how the process was mired in controversy long before Oval Horizon Limited, a company within Paddy McKillen’s Oakmount Group, was notified as the preferred bidder in May 2021.