Parnell Square redevelopment
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Parking may go in Parnell Square redevelopment
More than 100 city centre parking spaces are likely to be lost with the planned redevelopment of Parnell Square, writes Olivia Kelly
Plans for major improvement works at Parnell Square will be presented to Dublin city councillors tomorrow, and are due to go on public display in the next two weeks.
The plans involve extending the O’Connell Street redevelopment programme from the Parnell Monument to around the square.
The revamp will follow the style of O’Connell Street, with granite paving, tree-planting and the widening of paths.
It is not yet known how many, if any, of the on-street metred parking spaces will be left on the square. However, the city management and councillors agree the square should no longer be used as a major parking resource for the city.
“We want to do away with parking cars on the square, and make the place more pedestrianised,” said Cllr Tom Stafford (Fianna Fáil), chair of the Dublin Central Area Committee of the council.
“The idea is to see it heading the same way as O’Connell Street, with a better mix of public transport and pedestrian use to bring out the quality of the square.”
Mr Stafford admits that there could be strong opposition to reducing the already limited city parking. “It will cause pandemonium at first; it always gets very emotive when we’re talking about cars . . . We don’t want Parnell Square to continue as a black spot and become even more of a car park for the new O’Connell Street.”
He said Parnell Square should be a major cultural centre, with the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Writers’ Museum, the Garden of Remembrance, the Gate theatre and the Ambassador theatre on three of its four sides. The square also has the Rotunda Hospital and the 19th century “Findlater’s” church.
The redevelopment plans, to be outlined by architects and council planners tomorrow, will be completed in phases, and likely to start at Parnell Street to the west of the Parnell monument.
The plans include proposals for a derelict site between Conway’s pub and the New Jury’s Hotel on Parnell Street, and a cleaning and upgrading programme for a number of buildings. There will also be proposals for a vacant plot between the back of the Garden of Remembrance and the hospital.
Proposals to relocate the Abbey Theatre to the former Christian Brothers school Coláiste Mhuire to north of the square are unlikely to form part of plans tomorrow. While the site has not been completely ruled out, according to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, problems with acquiring adjacent buildings mean that plans to relocate the national theatre at the site have been shelved.
The council hopes to get work under way on Parnell Square this year.
There was a plan to take away the railings at one stage aswell, I think.
I thought from the title of the thread that parking was planned for the square 🙂
Good to finally see things happening up there. Where will the plans be on view – the CC Offices?So has Coláiste Mhuire site has been officially shelved then or is the article induging in a bit of journalistic license?
All will be revealed in a couple of weeks. Any changes to the G of R will have to take in the OPW…I hope this is included in the plans.
I hope the children of lir sculpture and poem on the wall behind is kept in any redevelopment..it’s one of my favourites in the city.
I quite like the Garden of Remembrance… its of its time and its very peaceful and a little sun trap. Whenever I had to get a bus to Monaghan, if i was early and it was sunny, I’d go in and sit down, if it was raing, coffee in the hugh lane.
Agreed – at this stage it is in a way as much a commemoration of those who died as it is of the 1966 commemoration itself.
There’s a sense of history in there nearly moreso from 1966.
It is of it’s time and it’s something of a novelty to have a piece of 60s landscaping and architecture in such immaculate condition. Short of the whole square being redeveloped I think it should be left alone.I think so too. Afterall we’ve already lose the garden at Pelican House from this period. Cannot be too many examples around…
The essential thing for an improved Parnell Square would be the full engagement of the Rotunda. Hopefully they will co-ordinate the planned major redevelopment of the hospital with the Council’s ideas for the square.
Otherwise the place will remain just as disconnected from the City Centre as it is now.
The Abbey will not be going to Colaiste Mhuire so there is a big opportunity to do something exciting in place of the school – something that will fit in the available space, that is.
Does anyone know anything about the proposal to convert the Wax Museum into a hotel? This will also impact on the future of Parnell Square.
New Plan announced for Parnell Square
“With the completion of O’ Connell Street next year, we are turning our
attention to Parnell Square which has great potential to become a significant
and attractive cultural destination for Dubliners and tourists” said John
Fitzgerald, City Manager.A Framework Plan for Parnell Square has been completed by Howley Harrington
Architects on behalf of Dublin City Council in association with the Office of
Public Works, the Rotunda Hospital, The Gate and Academy Theatres, The Dublin
Writers museum and the Abbey Presbyterian Church. The plan, which was
presented today to the Central Area Committee of Dublin City Council, aims to
transform a square which “is undervalued, underused and under performing” and
which also suffers from poor public perception.Parnell Square will, during the lifetime of the plan, benefit from over €200
million of public and private investment. Dublin City Council has already
begun the €12 million extension to Dublin City Gallery- the Hugh Lane Gallery
which will open early next year. “This Framework plan is ambitious and
visionary – but most of all it is achievable” said John Fitzgerald.The Plan recommends the following
· Upgrading the Public Domain on all sides of the Square- Footpaths, lighting,
trees and bus lay-bys to be upgraded to the same standards as those prevailing
in O’Connell Street and on-street parking and bus lay-bys to be re-organised.
· An Urban Pergola and Sculpture Promenade on Parnell Square East to stretch
from the Gate to the Abbey Presbyterian Church containing outdoor sculpture.
· Rejuvenating The Ambassador Theatre which could become a cabaret type
theatre with restaurant café and bars.
· Making the Garden of Remembrance more welcoming and accessible with:
o The entrance to the Garden to be improved.
o A new gate from Parnell Square North
o Improved accessibility for all within the park
· Abbey Presbyterian Church (Findlaters’) to be accentuated by extended
pavements and floodlighting
· National Museum of Literature: Improve and expand the existing Dublin
Writers Museum to become a National Museum of Literature
· New anchor use for the Coláiste Mhuire Site possibly a luxury hotel
· New City Childrens Garden and crèche on the Northwest Corner very
appropriately situated beside the Rotunda and Garden of Remembrance. There
will be a new contemporary “Cabbies” shelter built on the location of former
facilities.
·
Rotunda: A new masterplan for the Rotunda hospital to facilitate the
consolidations, expansion and improvement of clinical facilities while
contributing positively to urban design. There was broad agreement with the
Rotunda on the followingo New four story buildings facing on the Parnell Square east and west with
increased car park facilities. The ground floors to have appropriate
commercial and public uses.o A new public garden, recreating the original garden designed for the centre
of the Square. This garden would be linked to all surrounding streets and to
the Garden of Remembrance. This would create a possible new North South
pedestrian route from the Hugh Lane Gallery, across the Garden of Remembrance,
through the new Rotunda garden and through the historic hospital building onto
Parnell Street.The Plan is to be implemented in three phases. Phase one, which will take
eighteen months, will include improvements to pavements, roads, parking as well
as installing decorative street lighting and planting trees. This phase also
includes the flood lighting of the Church and the commencement of the
improvements to the Garden of Remembrance entrance. This work will cost €25.6
million including the €12 million already being spent on the extension to the
Hugh Lane Gallery due to open next year. The second and third phases have
longer timescalesMichael Colgan, Director of the Gate Theatre said “Parnell Square was once an
epicentre of cultural life in Dublin because of the vision of one man, The
Rotunda Hospital founder, Dr. Bartholomew
Mosse. He developed the area from nothing to one of the most sophisticated
neighbourhoods in the city where nobility, gentry and ordinary people alike
came to enjoy some of the best music Europe had to
offer as well as a civic area devoted to the patronage of fine arts. Nearly
250 years later, we now have an opportunity for Parnell Square to be restored
to its former purpose and glory”.Master of the Rotunda , Dr Michael Geary said: “The building of new modern
clinical facilities around the perimeter of the Square will allow the
restoration of the Rotunda Pleasure Gardens in the centre of the Square. This
will enable the Rotunda Hospital to continue its proud tradition of excellent
maternity care throughout the 21st century and beyond and place it as the
central axis of an exciting and improved cultural quarter”.Klaus Unger, Assistant Principal Architect Office of Public Works said: ” We
aim to make the Garden of Remembrance more welcoming and universally accessible.”Sean Harrington of Howley Harrington, author of the plan said “Parnell Square
is Dublin’s lost Georgian square. At the end of the great axis running from St
Stephen’s Green through the rejuvenated O’Connell Street northwards the square
has the potential to be the jewel of the north side of Dublin CityThis sounds impressive..though the timescale is a bit long (I suppose should be used to that by now). The square always had so much potential, I hope at last some of it will be realised.
i don’t think i’ve ever really seen any of parnell square apart from the g o r
http://dispatch.mapflow.com/lav20a-irl/Dispatch/Map_4380848.jpg
Wow – that’s interesting to see the GoR in plan view. Wonder if such a symbol would be ‘acceptable’ if built today…
The timescale for the Square works is impressive – I think it’s the eastern side though rather than the west that needs the fastest attention – the public domain there is really awful, so windswept and barren. The Georgian fakes are also depressing…
The stepped terrace of houses on the western side always looks great, despite their delapidated condition. Some decent landscaping here is going to make such a difference, but esp on the eastern side.
A planning application has gone up to open a northern entrance to the Garden of Rememberance opposite the Municipal Gallery. The application involves a new gate the creation of an enlarged paved area at street level and steps down either side to the sunken garden. THe proposals are modest but are the first step in the planned revamp of Parnell Square due to start next year and be completed by 2050 (or thereabouts…LOL).
its good to see the Northern Georgian area of the city getting some attention… hopefully in time we will see the whole area getting a much needed makeover
I wish they’d add some sort of an archway as part of the entrance to the Garden of Rememberance….like Stephens Green. It would look far more grand and dignifying than whats there at the moment.
@GregF wrote:
I wish they’d add some sort of an archway as part of the entrance to the Garden of Rememberance….like Stephens Green. It would look far more grand and dignifying than whats there at the moment.
Agreed whats there looks like school railings. Perhaps the Fine Portico that is at the bottom of Catha Brugha Street and looking sad and out of place would look really well.
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