Re: Re: O’ Connell Street

Theobald Matthew is white! Its quite a remarkable transformation.

This is an interesting appraisal of success of the redevelopment to date. I would also question why on earth it is taking so long to complete. Things are only finally beginning to happen on Upper OC St . I heard Dick Gleeson remarking that the works to date had all been completed without the promised funding from DOEHLG. Dick Roche can talk the talk but not wlak the walk it seems.

I think most elements of the street have been very successful and the widened pavemnets alone are an excellent innovation for the street. The trees will mature in a few years and the street will begin to really take shape. What will be passed on (hopefully) is a legacy the same way the widened Sackville Street was a legacy from its time. Its also very hard to make a judgement on the street until its all completed. I was just thinking how different again the Spire will look once the paving and tree planting on the other side is completed.

Its also worth remembering that most of the buildings are in private hands and that the CC is depending on owners to fuind their renovation.

What I do think is terrible is the timescale this is being played out over. Side streets like Malborough (the worst in the city?) Sackvill Place, Cathedral Street and, as I said earlier, Abbey Street all remain to have even a sniff of the IAP. Works here would be reletavely minor. Improved paving (doesnt have to be expensive granite) , street resurfacing for Malb. (much needed), some trees planting and a unified lighting scheme could be put in place within a few months, A targeted incentive programme for derelict sites would do wonders in a city taht will soon be crying out for development sites.