The Irish Times

The board of the National Theatre has decided in favour of relocating the Abbey to the south side of the Liffey. The new theatre would cost at least £100 million to build. At a press conference yesterday, the theatre's artistic director, Mr Ben Barnes, said the board's preferred option was a purpose-built complex on the site of the former gasworks, owned by Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA). "It was the unanimous decision of the board that, should funding be available, this was now its preferred option for the future of the Abbey in the 21st century," Mr Barnes said. The board is awaiting a response from the Government.