TLM

Just seen this in the Indo. Very few details of what is actually in the report yet but it will be interesting to see what is planned for O’Connell Street.

Latest capital city blueprint

A NEW blueprint to develop the capital’s retail core over a five to eight year period has been drafted by Dublin City Council.

The framework plan sets out the council’s strategy for the development and promotion of Dublin city centre as the primary shopping, leisure and cultural destination in the State.

A draft of the key document – entitled ‘Dublin City Centre – Developing the Retail Core” – has been seen by Property Independent.

It provides comprehensive planning and urban design guidance, as well as a series of radical interventions for the areas in, connecting and adjoining Henry St and Grafon St.

Is there actually a plan on how to tackle undesiarable shopfronts and shop usages on the street? It seems no progress has been made on that front. Also does anyone know when the kiosks are going in?

Thanks

Yeah the interior looks like a great job but I hope they now make some moves to improve the facade

“TLM,
The Council have an objective in the new Development Plan to produce an IAP-type plan for the Quays (page 18):

The river Liffey has always been at the heart of the city’s identity but has been marred by the use of the quays as a major traffic artery and the main route for heavy goods vehicles coming to and from the port. The presence of traffic has created a hostile traffic environment and has impacted negatively on its built fabric. As a result, its role as a central civic spine with the potential to link the Phoenix Park and Dublin Bay has been seriously compromised. The forthcoming completion of the Port Tunnel (2005) provides a major opportunity to develop the public realm of the river and to anchor it as a central civic spine.

Objective CUF 1
It is an objective of Dublin City Council to prepare a Framework Plan for the city quays during the lifetime of this plan.”

Thanks for that devin, I await it with interest.

I think it’s great to see stuff going on on George’s St. In my opinion it’s one of the most interesting in the city. The new street to the castle sounds like a good idea too. What use are all these developments being put to though?

Very dissapointing that the taxi rank was reinstated, particulary as the rest of the new median looks so well!

I agree, it would have looked pretty ridiculous to keep the old trees on the upper street now that the planting on the lower part is complete. According to the Indo phase 2 of the improvement works will take 10 months to complete.

Also a story about Joe O’Reilly acquiring the Royal Dublin Hotel, I wonder if it’s now going to be refurbished as well as had previously been planned. Wasn’t the Gresham also to be upgraded to a five star?

I think Parnell Square was suggested as a location for the city library in the development plan.

Why is it that other countires can bring such imagination to amenities like their parks and Irish officials never do? Phoenix Pak could be really fantastic but it’s just a big badly kept praerie for the most part. At least the plans for Parnell Sq park are encouraging.

!!!!

This in todays Independent…….

Lapdance celebrity unveils plans for a €3m club off O’Connell Street

LAPDANCE supremo Peter Stringfellow plans to open an up-market club in Dublin, the Irish Independent can reveal.

The perma-tanned entrepreneur will shortly launch a major drive to attract beautiful Irish girls. These will work alongside a coterie of his international dancers in the new club which will be just off the top of O’Connell Street.

The flamboyant businessman said last night he planned to invest at least €3m in creating a luxurious lap-dancing emporium in a 12,500 sq ft two-storey building in the Parnell Centre.

“There will be a nucleus of Irish dancers,” he said. “They may have been reluctant in the past to set up in Dublin, and with good reason, but we expect to break down that barrier using the international name of Stringfellows.”

Mr Stringfellow said he already employs Irish dancers in his London club and he expects some of them will work in Dublin.

“This will be the full-weight Stringfellows with gourmet restaurant, dancing and top-rate decor,” he said.

Mr Stringfellow said he expected to sign the final contract for the premises just as soon as he finished sailing his yacht from Ibiza to Majorca.

At least 50 dancers on an average night, and up to 90 at the weekend, will work in the club which will hold between 400 and 500 customers.

“My kind of club will cater to the international traveller and the affluent end of the Irish business community – this is a very good thing for Dublin and it will have a lot of international appeal,” he said.

“There will VIP areas, champagne areas, a long bar at the beginning with pole dancers, an area for more exclusive dancing and a restaurant that should be very popular.”

It is third time lucky for Mr Stringfellow who has previously looked at two other sites in Dublin over the last two years, including one beneath the St Stephen’s Green shopping centre.

Mr Stringfellow said had always wanted to open a club in Dublin but had been wary of doing so because of some of the practices that some lap-dance operators had been able to get away with.

However, the Sheffield born businessman said he was now convinced that bad elements had been stamped out by the Garda in a move that had helped open the door to legitimate operators.

“I feel the police in Dublin have got their act together and sorted things out,” he said.

Mr Stringfellow said he had already met gardai to discuss the club.

He said a small consortium of Irish business people were supporting his move into Dublin. But until he signed the final contract he could not reveal their names.

Mr Stringfellow was advised by Dublin-based property experts HT Meagher O’Reilly while Morrissey Auctioneers advised the owners of the new property on the deal.

The site of Mr Stringfellows new venture was previously occupied by a bar and lap-dance club backed by Northern Irish businessmen which went bust in late 2003 with debts of €2.4m.

Tom Lyons