redeoin

remember the U2 tower will be on the corner only a hundred yards away – so that area should be architecturally interesting to say the least…

Does anyone know when the next Carlton hearing is?

Ireland.com 7th April 2004

“The Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Mr O’Donoghue, has given his strongest indication yet that the National Theatre could move from Abbey Street. Delays and the high cost of developing the existing site gave the Government little choice but to look elsewhere for a new home for the Abbey Theatre, he said yesterday. Mr O’Donoghue commented on the theatre’s future while at the Abbey launching “A Policy Framework for Education, Community and Outreach” for the Council of Cultural Institutions. “Given the cost acquisition and time factor of expanding the footprint of the Abbey at its present location, we have no choice but to begin looking elsewhere. The Carlton site is one that comes to mind,” he said after launching the education document. “We have the most imaginative and creative generation of our history and there is no expression of that creativity in our public architecture. Obviously, the regeneration and refurbishment of O’Connell Street would be greatly enhanced by a signature development such as our national theatre,” the Minister said. Speaking in the Dáil earlier, Mr O’Donoghue said that redeveloping the Abbey’s current site would be “problematic, time consuming and expensive” and that he would prefer to see it on a new city-centre site. Mr O’Donoghue qualified his later references to the Carlton site by acknowledging the current High Court challenge to the compulsory purchase order by Dublin City Council. No decision can be made about that site until the outcome of the court case. He said the Government would await the outcome of the Carlton case before making a final decision about the Abbey, “provided we don’t have to wait too long”. He would not be pressed on how long the Government might be prepared to wait. The director of the Abbey, Mr Ben Barnes, who attended the launch, said: “The Government and the Abbey are all very keen that a decision is made about the new theatre in this centenary year.” When Mr O’Donoghue last spoke on the Abbey in the Dáil on February 26th, he said the theatre’s current site “has not been ruled out, but it is beginning to look more difficult”.”

Graham – how come all your stories end in a tramp and/or a 20 something spilling a bottle of cider everywhere. Just what is your job!?

It wouldn’t take as long to re-lay new wider paving on Dame St or Westmoreland St, once the council work out how much road space they can take back.

The problem with O’Connell St is setting out the entire St in a completely new pattern; moving the existing roads, and diverting utilities; catering for the Luas, putting in a full plaza at one section; not to say the spire; and dealing with the sheer bloody width and length of the street.

I think the floodlights to light the spire will make a big difference when they are installed.

Also, at the moment the entire street is badly lit by intermittent nasty orange sodium lighting.

I hope when it is relaid, white halogen lights are installed, as they are around stephen’s green (but with a more modern lamppost design).

That way the lighting of the entire structure, and street will be very harmonius. I actually prefer the present orange lighting at the top of the spire, with the white tip. I think it looks really well…!

The shops will not spend money on upgrades until the street is complete. Why would they make expensive upgrades in a building site. They should also wait to see how the street looks when it is finished, before calling in the exterior designers.

The City Council are progressing slowly but steadily, and are apparently going to get it right, judging by what is emerging at the plaza. Royston is just electioneering. I heard him on The Last Word. He knew nothing about the street plans; he clearly knew nothing about the legal difficulties the Carlton Site was mired in; he had failed to register that since the Spire was finished there were massive billboards spelling out what is being done on the street; he also failed to acknowledge that the street has to be kept open for very heavy business. Or that there was war when the City Council insisted on continuing works over Christmas, to avoid delays.

If he wanted to fault the plan, he could have asked the City Council why they don’t have twice as many people working twice as fast. He could have questioned the budget. He could have enquired about the legal difficulties. He could have asked if as Mayor was there anything he could propose to government to help speed up progress. But instead he engaged in the typical Fianna Fail rubbish about ‘results’ and ‘tough choices’; which is what they always say when they are about to pull a fast one.

And the fact that as Mayor he says he cares but still seemed to know f all, that any ten minute brief, browsing of the internet, or info. from a lackey would have told him, makes me think as Mayor he might turn out to be a Fianna Fail populist t**t. After all, I am sure he does care, but I thought his rank would make him a bit brighter than that.

Well I think they should drop the metro for now, as it is a phenonmenal cost for what it gives you. Spending the same 4 billion on extending the luas would be much better.

Just think: 800 million = 2 luas lines
So: 4 bn = 10 luas lines

BUT I am 100% in favour if extending the Luas. We know how to do it now – we know the costs, and it WIll work very well, if they keep adding more and more sections. It is very user friendly and much cheaper to build.

Over time we could have a scenario where we have a comprehensive light rail system of 12 lines, building the ten fresh lines at say, a new line every 18 months, for the next 15 years. An outlay of around €270m per year at today’s prices. At a carrying capacity per line of 15,000 per line over rush hour, it gives you a capacity of 200,000. And it means you could go ANYWHERE in the city via light rail.

Contrast that with the alternative solution at the same price of two luas and one metro line.

If the dart can be modified to serve the airport at a much cheaper price, that begins to take care of the heavy traffic in that area.

And finally – I completely agree that the critical infrastructure ‘metro’ bill is a stalking horse for more roads, not a better public transport system.

When o’connell st is unveiled as a boulevard in two years time, there will be a lot of regeneration of basic things like the cleanlinesss of shop fronts etc.

There will hopefully also be a further wave of apartments in the unused upper floors of buildings, as people are suddenly attracted by the location.

What would do very well would be tourist style apartments that are rented on short-term leases for people who want to take extended holidays and breaks…

The upper building line on the street, apart from a handful of buildings, looks rather well now that the trees have come down; that can only improve.

I heard that the City Council are resorting to the controversial, and little known Plan B, which is to shift the entire city south by 100 miles to a ready-made greenfield site near wexford, which will initially consist of nothing but roads, trams and metros.

My source is pretty good – he writes for the sunday business post.

Well his name WAS Frank Feely. Though he should have been rechristened Max Headroom.