urbanisto
Forum Replies Created
- Posts
I can’t imagine any funding will be forthcoming in the near future however the Gallery appears to be fundraising for the new extension.
FEXCO on Westmoreland Street have gone in for planning for a much more appropriate shopfront sign http://www.dublincity.ie/AnitePublicDocs/00387282.pdf
Those plans are available to view now. Actually all looks quite logical to me and definitely an improvement on the current set up. Its not clear but I assume there will be a right turn from Merrion Row onto Ely Place in future for buses etc. It will be interesting to see how Kildare Street reacts to traffic in both directions.
One small point that continues to irritate me is the way pavement build-outs are constructed. Rather than lifting and resetting the kerb line, a second kerb line is installed and the build-out paved to meet it. Despite all the traffic and now the Luas…it must still be remembered that St Stephen’s Green is an historic city square. Some finessing of the design to reflect this would be welcome.
However, despite the rhetoric of that lofty Public Realm Strategy…these improvements seem to have been drafted by the Roads Engineering Team. I would be very interested to be corrected on that.
@StephenC wrote:
Well well…perhaps the above render is not so fanciful after all.
Very welcome to see this patch being redeveloped.
A decision is due on this cafe development next week. Its interesting that the owner of the site is confirmed as Dublin City Council. I always wondered who owned the land and why it was continuously left in such a poor state…no I know why :lolno:
Perhaps the cafe scheme will work out but South Great Georges Street is now dominated by restaurants (pricey restaurants at that) and cafes. Its just my opinion but perhaps a very simple parklet with some greenery and a bench and a small statue or fountain would have done just as well. A free place to sit and watch the city go by. Not at all beyond the means of the City Council.
The heat lamps are going in at Fade Street Social…and the tables and chairs are sure to follow in time for Christmas. And sure why not.
Interesting condition on the permission for signage and awnings on the building:
4) The projecting awning shall remain free of any advertisements (including the name of the premises) and the colour of the awning shall be similar and complimentary to the existing awnings on Fade Street. Reason: In the interests of visual and environmental amenity.
Roundly ignored of course. The awning are bright cyan and have the premises name on them.
There is little logic applied to planning decisions concerning shopfronts these days. And as ever those City Council Shopfront Guidelines (2003 and really only relevant to O’Connell Street) remain as elusive as ever.
Here’s the text describing the works…
Pursuant to the requirements of the above, notice is hereby given of proposed Revised Southside Traffic Management Measures to Facilitate LUAS Broombridge on St Stephens Green North and St Stephens Green East, Dublin 2. The revised traffic management arrangements are required to facilitate construction works on Dawson Street and the operation of Luas once constructed.
The proposed works will comprise the reconfiguration of the road space along St Stephens Green North and St Stephens Green East to provide the following:
Removal of existing build out at the junction of St Stephens Green East, St Stephens Green North and Merrion Row.
Provision of island at the junction of St Stephens Green East and St Stephens Green North and a median along St Stephens Green North for approx 50 meters.
Relocation of the Grace Weir sculpture approx 8 meters to the west on the new proposed island. Revised arrangements for eastbound traffic on St Stephens Green North between Kildare Street and Merrion Row to include: -Reconfiguration of traffic lanes to provide one straight ahead lane onto Merrion Row. -Provision of a loading bay along Shelbourne Hotel frontage. -Widening of footpath between Kildare Street and Merrion Row from 2.6 meters to a maximum of 6 meters. Revised arrangements for westbound traffic on St Stephens Green North between St Stephens Green East and Kildare Street to include: -Reconfiguration of traffic lanes to provide one straight ahead lane onto St Stephens Green North. -Provision of one right turn lane onto Kildare Street. -Provision of a 1.75 metre wide cycle lane. Revised arrangements for southbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Merrion Row and Hume Street to include: -Widening of footpath from 2.50 meters to 3.8 meters. -Provision of a 1.75 meter wide cycle lane.
Revised arrangements for northbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Hume Street and Merrion Row to include: -Reconfiguration of traffic lanes to provide one turning lane onto St Stephens Green North. -Provision of two right turning lanes onto Merrion Row. -Removal of 12 no. pay and display car parking spaces. -Provision of a 1.75 meter wide cycle lane. Revised arrangements for southbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Hume Street and Leeson Street to include: -Provision of a dedicated left turn bus lane onto Leeson Street. -Provision of a straight ahead lane onto Earlsfort Terrace for buses and vehicles exiting the existing private car park approx 34 meters from the junction of St Stephens Green East and Leeson Street.
Revised arrangements for northbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Leeson Street and Hume Street to include: -Reconfigure traffic lanes to provide 3 no. lanes approaching the new signalised junction. -Provision of a 1.75 meter wide cycle lane. Signalisation of the junction of Hume Street and St Stephens Green East to include: -Removal of pedestrian crossing in the centre of St Stephens Green East. -Provision of pedestrian crossing at the Hume Street junction. -Provision of an advanced stop line for cyclists at the traffic lights on St Stephens Green East. Relocate the existing dublinbikes stand from the centre of St Stephens Green East to the north of new signalised junction at Hume Street. The provision of 10 no. additional dublinbikes stands to the south of the new signalised junction.
Relocate existing bicycle parking from existing build out to Hume Street and St Stephens Green North.
Alterations to egress arrangements for private car park on St Stephens Green East allowing left only.Were you expecting Bordeaux-style vision?
So, we are off again. A new traffic layout for St Stephen’s Green. This time to facilitate the Luas works beginning in May and the operating of the Luas BXD in 2030 or whenever its meant to be completed. A Part VIII application has been lodged by Dublin City Council for changes to the North, East and South sides and various side streets. The big change is the junction at Merrion Row whcih is being reconstructed to create a right turn onto Merrion Row.
As usual, Dublin City Council’s abysmal website doesnt have the plans and spec uploaded yet. There is no doubt a queue for the scanner in Wood Quay.
Application is here http://www.dublincity.ie/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=3542/12&backURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=1826934%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E%20%3E%20%3Ca%20href=’wphappsearchres.displayResultsURL?ResultID=2251162%26StartIndex=111%26SortOrder=APNID:asc%26DispResultsAs=WPHAPPSEARCHRES%26BackURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=1826934%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E’%3ESearch%20Results%3C/a%3E Observations by the 14th Jan, although I would highlight that the Council are appear to be ignoring most comments that made on Part VIIIs. Pesky public consultations.
On balance the changes sounds straightforward to me. They should remove some of the ugly junctions and clutter that accumulated from the last round of works in 2004(?). As ever, the devil is in the bollard- and signage-filled detail…
The extension of wayfinder signage to the Docklands are is now ongoing. Most of the posts are in place.
Wandering around Docklands today I couldn’t help notice how crap the public realm has become. And tacky shopfronts plastered with signage aren’t restricted to Westmoreland Street I see.
Ill put bets on this monument will be locked within a year after it gets regular use as a public toilet/drugs spot. Its very badly thought-out. As usual, the city’s squares are used as a dumping ground for random addition (the Solider Memorial on Merrion) with no thought to context. In the case of Parnell, the square rots around it.
Is it worth spending the €20?
This is the kind of thing that really bugs me and makes me wonder about all that Grafton Street Quarter stuff I have been hearing so little of…
South King Street
Okay so not strictly about the design of shops/shopfronts (DCC guidelines cannot be found on website and most of the hard copies were dumped last year to ‘make space’ and besides they all related to O’Connell Street which was confusing for everyone else in the city), but…
http://www.pivotdublin.com/index.php/blog/entry/call_out_for_design_shops_for_pivot_dublin_map_guide
I was previously going to offer a more measured response, so I might just side step exene1’s comments, which are just a tad intemperate.
I think it is fair to say that Dublin Civic Trust and An Taisce are two different beasts (each with their positive aspects and failings). DCT does not generally involve itself in the development process (and so attract the negative comments that that would entail) and hence it might be looked upon in a more positive light. However it also struggles to achieve any of its aims.
An Taisce are not at all the D4-boogey men and naysayer that they are portrayed as (as a direct result of their statutory role in the development plan process) and its obvious (to me anyhow) that so much of what the organisation argued during the boom rang true. In my experience AT generally argue against development within the context of the Development Plan, they aren’t pathologically opposed to new architecture or taller buildings (at least at a corporate level). Do they fuck up? Undoubtedly! But then they are an underfunded, membership-reliant organisation, run on a shoestring and really only in existence due to the selfless work of a number of people – there are bound to be weaknesses there.
But then ask yourself….did hugely wealthy developers fuck up in the boom? Did well funded and resourced and professional design firms/planners/engineers fuck up in the boom? Did the local authority fuck up in the boom?
Anyhow back to Aungier Street, and another curious case on the street to raise with DCC if anyone does the street tour tomorrow is No, 79 who have happily been undertaking work to their premises over the past few months including fencing off the front area (a private landing), repaving and refurbishing the shop front. A lot of the work deviates from a previous grant of permission in 2010 that included a condition requiring revised plans to be submitted before works began http://www.dublincity.ie/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=3774/10&theTabNo=2&backURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=1809310%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E%20%3E%20%3Ca%20href=’wphappsearchres.displayResultsURL?ResultID=2231186%26StartIndex=1%26SortOrder=APNID:asc%26DispResultsAs=WPHAPPSEARCHRES%26BackURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=1809310%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E’%3ESearch%20Results%3C/a%3E
Now its seems its time to apply for retention (application pending validation). After the works have been completed.
For anyone left in Dublin…
The National Gallery currently have an exhibition in place showing the proposed new masterplan for the Gallery, including a major new extension.
Its quite interesting and full of some interesting historical photos…worth a look.
Speaking of Aungier Street…
Dublin Civic Trust are hosting an exhibition in the street as part of Design Week:
http://www.designweek.ie/pivot-dublin-aungier-street-historical-exhibition/
There are also tours being conducted by Dublin City Architects of the street on Monday, Wed and Friday of this week. A good chance to ask where it all went wrong with No. 6?
Meanwhile on (now swanky) Fade Street
Great to see this building back in use and the refurbishment is very well done (albeit a less challenging building than 6 Aungier Street above).
Fade Street has come together very well. Apart from the street lamps (which are a bit to bling) the street looks very smart. Established premises like Hogans and Le Gueilleton have used the public realm refurb as an excuse to smarten up their premises…exactly how it should work.
Back to that building mentioned above (in April) on Aungier Street. This is the building a couple of months back after its refurbishment
There is a whole back story to this… a tale of works undertaken without permission and retentions sought etc. On top of this is the proposed use of the shop unit as a takeaway – hardly an aspiration for what is one of the most historic streets in the city.
Anyhow “conservation ” works undertaken….new render, new quoins and architraves, new repro windows…in fact very little conservation. Still rather than reduce the building to rubble someone obviously felt they were doing the city a favour.
And then this…
To me, this is a perfect illustration of the failure of the planning system in this city. Unable to deal with unauthorised development, unable to guide (and compel) the development to a more appropriate conclusion and unable even to repair the bloody pavement afterwards!
Well well…perhaps the above render is not so fanciful after all.
Very welcome to see this patch being redeveloped.
