New street and redevelopment for Dublin ?

@jdivision wrote:

I think that between where Princes Street meets red and green block it will turn right (completely my opinion). I have heard from a retail source who’s not involved that Arnotts will eventually only occupy the bottom left hand corner of that picture. That’s not been confirmed by the principles however.

Agreed about what you say about capturing the footfall of eastern O’Connell Street before it reaches Henry St, but to make a right turn where Princes St ends below as you seem to suggest (may be wrong), is simply not possible given the fine terrace of protected buildings that would have to be swept away in part to allow the new street to break through:

..unless of course Arnotts propose demolition regardless…

Alternatively, emerging through the 60s frontage on Henry St still brings the pedestrian out opposite the main doors of Roches, so that’s still an option.
Dunnes Stores would not be pleased with that proposal though, with the potential for this new street to cut the footfall of eastern Henry St substantially, right outside their massive new store. Suppose it’s only a 30 second back-track though.

Details have finally been released on Arnotts redevelopment:

Arnotts today unveiled plans for a €700 million development based around its current department store in Dublin’s north city centre.

The development known as the Northern Quarter will transform the area bounded by O’Connell Street, Abbey Street, Henry Street and Liffey Street into a new shopping and entertainment area.

An artist’s impression of the aerial view of the proposed development
The main aim of the proposal is to recreate Prince’s Street as a pedestrian thoroughfare connecting O’Connell Street to Henry Street with a public square at the heart of the development.

Williams Lane will be repositioned and a second lane will be added from the square to create a new north-south pedestrian route from Henry Street to Middle Abbey Street.

The scheme will feature 47 new shops, 189 apartments, a 152 bed four-star hotel and 17 new cafes restaurants and bars. Underground parking for over 700 vehicles with access via ramps on O’Connell Street has also been proposed.

Subject to planning permission the development is expected to be completed by 2010.

“The Northern Quarter will write the next chapter in the evolving history of Dublin City, retaining the charm of an open street environment but overlaying it with the dynamism and diversity of a modern European capital,” executive chairman of Arnotts Richard Nesbitt said at the launch in Dublin today.

Mr Nesbitt said that the company would provide 80 per cent of the funding but that they are seeking strategic partners for the remainder.

Arnotts will apply to Dublin City Council for planning permission this week.

© 2006 ireland.com

Thanks for the pics JJD.

Well from what can be made out in the right-hand picture, Arnotts as we know it is has effectively vanished, especially with the new hotel and apartments which could be any number of those large bulkheads.

Also it would appear that the new street punches through onto Henry Street via the 1960s extension, given the apparent new green facade depicted, and not directly behind the GPO – would this be the case? Perhaps not, as even the far side of the Victorian store appears to be missing! 😮 – so it could be anywhere really. Any chance of a larger image anyone – can’t find one anywhere!
Also are we to assume that Arnotts have acquired the Penneys/BHS building on O’Connell Street? Major opportunities retail and architectural there if the case.

The only thing is that Princes St is quite narrow and also quite dark, though I see an attempt has been made to widen it as soon as practical. I wonder therefore will it ever hold the appeal of Henry Street?
It does have an identical orientation, but Henry St is a bit wider and lined with bright brick buildings – not dominated by the sombre deadpan granite facade of the GPO as with Princes St. Also the GPO facade will really have to be redeveloped into retail to make the street a success. At least this lovely side of the GPO will now garner a wider audience – it has a ‘wholesome’ charm to it and distinctive limestone dressings etc on the ground floor that rarely get seen.

i hope they take the opportunity to restore the orginal facade and replace the dome that was removed

A fashion retailer that rarely makes any public utterances about its business, Penneys managing director Seamus Halford broke with convention yesterday to say that it will invest €45-€50 million to double the space of its current store to 100,000 square feet.

No it’s the O’Connell Street outlet

Penneys first preposed a major revamp of this store at least two years ago from what I heard at the time – perhaps they were waiting for this Arnotts plan to get off the ground. Here’s hoping indeed that they invest a significant sum on their principal facade – I won’t stir it by suggesting what I’d put there 😉

Overall the Arnotts square alas looks a complete mess of conflicting design concepts and building usage – and all worrying wallpaper-like, in a way that facades can be peeled off and replaced every decade or two. Maybe it’ll stand up better in other renderings. Agreed the store itself ought to be more ‘monumental’ if that’s the word – certainly more distinguishable and coherent anyway.

Needless to say the 152 bedroom hotel is availing of the Independent Building according to yesterday’s IT, which is nicely appropriate. If this doesn’t set the Gresham’s and RDH’s refurb wheels in motion nothing will!
I’m very curious to know exactly where this proposed car and service tunnel “at the junction of O’Connell Street and Middle Abbey Street” is going to go. Bulldozing through Manfield Chambers is hardly on the cards, and Eason’s wraps the whole way around this corner, meaning the entance will have to be substantially further down, maybe on the current small Penneys frontage?

The full IT article:

Arnotts seeks approval for €700m project
Arthur Beesley, Senior Business Correspondent
13/9/2006

Department store company Arnotts is seeking planning permission for a massive redevelopment of its extensive properties behind Henry Street in Dublin, where it aims to create a new shopping, entertainment and residential zone akin to the fashionable SoHo district in New York.
The €700 million Northern Quarter project, which is being led by Arnotts chairman Richard Nesbitt SC, includes proposals for a new central plaza between Henry Street and Middle Abbey Street.
If planning approval is granted, construction work could continue for the remainder of the decade.
The aim is to attract big-name mass market international retailers such as the fashion chains Abercrombie & Fitch and Armani Xchange and Apple Computer into the Henry Street zone, a retail hub which has largely stolen the march on Grafton Street in recent years.

“We believe this project is exactly the kind of ambitious, visionary development the area needs. The Northern Quarter will write the next chapter in the evolving history of Dublin city, retaining the charm of an open-street environment by overlaying it with the dynamism and diversity of a modern European capital,” said Mr Nesbitt.
In preparation for the scheme, Arnotts has spent some €100 million in the past two years buying up most of the buildings between Henry Street, the GPO Arcade, Middle Abbey Street and Liffey Street.

The central plaza will comprise 47 new shop buildings, 17 cafes, restaurants, bars and 189 apartments. A 152-bedroom four-star hotel will be built behind the old Independent Newspapers building on Middle Abbey Street.
The plaza will be connected to O’Connell Street through an extension from Princes’ Street, an underdeveloped thoroughfare which Arnotts hopes to revitalise as a pedestrianised central route into the plaza. Car-parking and service bays will be located in an underground complex, which will be accessed via a tunnel at the junction of O’Connell Street and Middle Abbey Street.
In addition, Arnotts wants to build two new streets to connect the plaza with Henry Street and Middle Abbey Street. Princes’ Street North, off Henry Street, and Abbey Lane, off Middle Abbey Street, will be roughly parallel to Liffey Street.

While Arnotts’ department store has been a central feature of the Henry Street scene for generations of shoppers, the plan will see the focus of its building moved southwest towards Liffey Street. Such a move will reduce its iconic shopfront on Henry Street, but it will provide frontage directly on to the plaza and increased frontage on Middle Abbey Street and Liffey Street.

Mr Nesbitt, a barrister who led the takeover of Arnotts in June 2003, said the initiative will create a “renewed sense of pride” in the north city area. He suggested it could act as the catalyst for further development of the Lotts Street area next to the Liffey.
A new pedestrian bridge over the river between O’Connell Bridge and the Ha’penny Bridge was also possible, Arnotts said.

A massive new apartment development is planned to the south-western corner of the site, containing 97 apartments stacked like curious pods on top of the presumably retail element below, and rising to 12 storeys at the corner with Liffey and Abbey streets…

…including a retained Chapters and the extensive late 1990s infill to the right:

A further 51 apartments are going in behind the GPO that you can barely see sticking out there.
Obviously most apartments are a few floors above ground level.

The view of the new tower over the Ha’penny Bridge looking up Lower Liffey Street:

The present hideous view:

As seen rising over the north inner city from the Clarence perhaps:

And the view from Lower Abbey Street with Manfield Chambers in the foreground:

As Stephen noted, the entire hideous Henry/Liffey corner is remain intact:

And the new streets punching through to Middle Abbey Street look decidedly narrow and dank. At least they’ll be south facing.

The planning notice:

That new Penneys building is one of the most problematic parts of the proposal – especially its glass, canopied setback roof storeys. There are several montage views of it in the planning application, but, tellingly, there is no proper view of it seen with the GPO from the north – i.e. from the Nth. Earl Street junction area.

The 12-storey tower at the corner of Abbey Street & Liffey Street is probably ok – an example of somewhere that could take such an addition.

The jury is still out on the proposal for the main Henry Street Arnotts building (though the emoticon: 😮 is appropriate)