Re: Re: Grafton Street, Dublin

“Grafton Street’s a wonderland, with magic in the air…”

To be fair to Dublin City Council, they have at last taken the need to communicate these types of projects to the wider public, seriously. The panels, social media and even a glossy video (with Voiceover Girl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SI50E_d1L4 all help to sell the scheme.

I welcome seeing the work start. It cant come soon enough in my view. Wandering the streets of Dublin last weekend it really struck me that the two streets that have decline most in the recession have been the two main shopping streets – Henry Street and Grafton Street. Streets like Aungier, Thomas, Moore, Talbot are where they were at the start of the turndown. The area from SG George’s Street to Grafton Street has positively bloomed in recent years. But with the fall off in retailing and the scrabble to get a rate paying business (any rate paying business) into the prime shopping streets, there has been a marked deterioration in quality. Plastic shopfronts, overload of signage, vacancy, lower end uses (yeah you heard me PC brigade, lower end uses like charity shops, newsagents, fast food and the like) have increased significantly. Add in unhelpful practices such as blanking out windows (ONE anyone?), big brash floodlighting, stickers, posters and a-frame galore, and it all adds up to a rather sad and sorry sight on Grafton Street and Henry/Mary Street are not far behind on.

Has anyone seem the elusive GRAFTON QTR MASTERPLAN yet?

It remains a shame about the street lamps disappearing and like you Graham, I wait with baited breath to see their replacement. Will they disappoint as O’Connell Street did back in 2003?