Ticketmaster and 3Arena owner, Live Nation along with US entertainment giant Oak View Group and the Desmond family’s Gaiety Investments are planning to develop a new Dublin’s docklands entertainment venue.Live Nation has struck a deal to acquire a site in Dublin’s docklands called Brick Yards for close to €90 million on which it will develop the venue that is expected to be larger than the 3Arena.The deal for the near three-hectare site, now known as Merchants Yard, was completed off market. The land had been owned by Benarman Limited, a company controlled by Jim and Stephen Bennett, of Bennett Construction.A spokeswoman for Live Nation, which was represented by Savills Ireland on the transaction, confirmed it has acquired the site.She added the company plans to develop a new venue on the land with partners Oak View Group and Gaiety Investments. “Live Nation, Oak View Group and Gaiety Investments are in the early stages of plans to develop a new world-class entertainment venue at the recently acquired Brick Yards site in Dublin,” she said.“Dublin is a vibrant, culturally rich capital with an unrivalled passion for live entertainment and a long history of welcoming artists and fans from around the globe. The city continues to see growing demand for major live events and remains one of Europe’s most important touring markets.“The partners look forward to working closely with local stakeholders, government officials, and the community as plans develop, with the aim of further strengthening Dublin’s position as a leading international destination for live music and culture.”The docklands site, which is located close to the 3Arena and beside Dublin Port, has been used as a commercial storage facility for many years with Chadwicks as the main tenants.Last month, Live Nation formed a new company in Ireland called Live Nation Brickyards Limited and €35.4 million has been put into the company by investors to date.Live Nation contributed €15.9 million, while a firm called Brickyards Property Holdings Limited also provided the same amount.Brickyards Property Holdings Limited is controlled by entertainment executive Chris Granger, who leads the operator of Manchester’s 23,500 Co-op Live arena Oak View Group. Denis Desmond and Caroline Downey Desmond’s firm Gaiety Investments Unlimited Company also provided €3.5 million.The docklands site had previously been brought to market by in 2021 with a guide price of €80 million, but no sale was completed.Live Nation has a large operation in Ireland, owning the 3Arena, ticket seller Ticketmaster and the promoter MCD.The most recent financial accounts for Live Nation Ireland Holdings Limited show it recorded €5.5 million in turnover in the year that ended 2024. During the year, it booked an after-tax profit of €5.2 million after it received a dividend of €7.7 million payout from a subsidiary. The filing added Live Nation Ireland Holdings Limited received a further €10 million of dividends from subsidiaries in 2025, with the full amount then paid out to its parent company in the UK.Back in 2021 when it was previously brought to market, the East Wall Road site was marketed as having capacity for 1,051 apartments and 20,780 sq m of commercial space, although no planning permission was in place at the time.The last move attempt to redevelop the site, which currently has a number of low-rise industrial buildings on it, was made in the 2000s.A joint venture led by Westmeath-based contractors Bennett Construction sought €150 million for the site in 2006, which then had permission for a 19-storey tower, 721 apartments, a 200-bedroom four-star hotel and offices.Since 2006, the Dublin docklands area has been transformed through a number of large-scale residential and commercial projects, while the 3Arena has also been redeveloped into a 9,000-seater venue.