It was a scaled back project from the initial 50 acre development proposed by Nathaniel Lichfield, an English master planner, in the mid-1960s.

Having acquired the plot by a compulsory purchase order, the Dublin Corporation sought to develop the site with 400,000 square feet of retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space in two 14-storey blocks, a theatre, 2 cinemas, restaurants and bars.

[5] To realise the plan the Corporation awarded the development contract to Irish Life.

Construction began in late 1978, with a much reduced footprint of 200,000 square feet total, having left the site derelict for 4 years.

[6] When it opened, it was the first shopping centre in Ireland to have glass lifts,[7] which have since been closed.