urbanisto
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If the Metro is to stop at O’Connell St and D’Olier St does this mean that all that lovely (and expensive) granite will have to be torn up to faciltate construction of the stations… and horror of horrors a cut and cover tunnel! There’ll be the newly planted trees to consider as well. I wonder if anyone has considered this…
Also, I notices a story in yesterdays Indo which seems to suggest that the upper end of the street’s redevelopment (and this was in the contect of paving etc) was dependent on the Carlton site. No action there, no action on the street. Can this be true?
It seems like such an obvious thing to do doesn’t it. I wonder then if the DDDA contributed to the costs of its removal.
I agree with you about long term residents, on reflection it is a very important that any area has a community feel and I agree short term, working couples do not seem to provide this. The problem I was thinking of was that the schemes willl need to encourage peopl to move on eventually if they are to be effective for future first time byers as well. Its a very difficult balance to strike I think. On the one hand you want solid, sustainable communities while on the other you want to avoid a one off solution to todays problem while ignoring tomorrows
Weren’t we discussing this months ago in the context of Daniel Leibeskind (spelling) designing a ship-like structure for the site. What happened to that. As I recall, it was apartments, offices and retail with a Museum attached.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this scheme. It smacks of cheap homes for the few but same-old-same-old for the rest. Its a sticky plaster solution which doesn’t in anyway solve the problems of exhorbitant house prices.
From a design point of view, I would be highly surprised if the agency to run the scheme came up with anything imaginative or different to whats going up in Ballymun now. As a lot of you will know, architects cost money and these schemes are supposed to be done at the cheapest possible cost.
I also foresee the homes being bought by long-term residents and landlords, and not used as a stepping stone to new home-buyers to get onto the property ladder.
It all looks great in the media spotlight but is far from the radical action needed to address this problem.
From todays Indo…. common sense prevails I say..at least in terms of cost and timescale.:
TRANSPORT Minister Seamus Brennan has set a target for the completion of the Dublin Airport metro line within four years, and a fraction of its original €4.8bn price tag.
He believes that the project can be built for less than €2bn by 2007 and has instructed the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) to draw up plans for the ambitious new appraisal.
The RPA’s initial assessment suggested that it would take between seven to nine years to build the line.
A Spanish expert who headed up the Madrid Metro, a larger project which was built for less than €1bn, will also be working as a consultant with the Agency.
Professor Melis Maynar has already advised Mr Brennan on how Dublin could replicate the Madrid project and has offered his services free. His view is that increased costs are caused by over-staffing and time wasting.
Measures to fast-track the planning process such as setting limits on appeals will be included in Mr Brennan’s promised Critical Infrastructure Bill.
Other parts of the legislation will aim to speed up the process by restricting the length of time for public inquiries.
Mr Brennan expects the RPA to produce a new assessment by the end of this month, paving the way for him to bring proposals to cabinet before ministers take a break in August.
If all goes to plan, construction work on the Metro would be expected to begin two years from next month.
The new target of 2007 for the construction of the Metro also happens to correspond with what many commentators believe will be the year of the next general election.
A recent revisal of the Metro’s projected route by the RPA put forward a shorter, direct link between Dublin Airport and O’Connell Street. The line would save construction costs by-passing key city rail stations to save money and would involve stops at O’Connell Street and D’Olier Street. The move followed the news that the agency had revised its estimated cost of the project from €4.8bn to €3.4bn after investigating the metro system in Madrid.
It certainly didn’t look like they had cleaned it on Saturday, when I last saw it. I can’t imagine that cleaning it would be so small a job they would have done it on Sunday.
I was also thinking that it will be a nightmare to build the plaza and keep traffic running smoothly. Still the granite has started to arrive and the area has been smoothed out… progress at last.
Yeah, I kind of lean that way too. There used to be so many amenities like these in the last century. It never seems to be a problem to fund them or for people to use them for a reasonable charge. It would be a shame if out new modern society sold them all off for thalasso spas. I say restore!
I think you have a good point about this stage. It strikes me as valid about alot of these ‘stunning additions’ to the city. Smithfield, Meeting House Square, the Capel Street Bridge book market, the Boardwalk cafes, the proposed O’Connell Street kiosks…. they are all great additions and I support them completely. But why do they all seem to flounder?
Are we, as citizens, undereducated in making the most of these resources. Meeting House Sq has a great market on Saturdays but is devoid of life the rest of the week. The stage is only used on summer and then the Irish weather makes that touch and go.
The underwater stage sounds good but will it get used? Are the residents of the Docklands too busy on their way to work to enjoy it? What is the solution to getting better use of all these facilities.
Personally, I think reducing cars in the city and encouraging people into the city as pedestrians would be a good start. Perhaps a free city centre bus to get people around. Its a hard one isn’t it.
What is the story with the water feature on South King Street? The three occasions I have seen it it was only working 1 out of 3. Its not great – a bit of a non-event – but when it was on it looked like a proper feature. DCC seem to have a thing about fountains… the quite attractive fountain on Dame Street and the one in front of the Custom House are never working. I contacted DCC once about this and they said they were the propoerty of OPW, who said they were the responsibility of Duchas, who said they were the responsibility of DCC. Of course no one said ‘Oh yeah thats a good idea, I’ll see what I can do’…. Its not that feckin difficult!
What do you think of the lighting on the top….? I think it looks a bit naff…maybe it will take getting used to. The base will be uplighted won’t it but are their plans to light the Spire from surrounding buildings?
Also those dodgy bollards at the base don’t actually look as bad as first feared now they are complete. Personally, I think the should have been left out.
Aaah they (the light yokes as you so eloquently call them Graham!) are probably along the lines of those on Temple Bar Square. You know the ones that have been well maintained by TBP and are in perfect working order and don’t look an absolute state!
I have seen an artists impression of the proposed stalls on O’CSt. They look quite good. There are even pictures of them up in the street for passers-by to view… well done the Corpo.
Which brings us nicely along to the subject of the Ramp. Whether or not it was necessary to remove the ramp as part of LUAS (the arguement seeming to be that Line C should continue into the docklands and not turn into Connolly at the ramp) I can’t help but be delighted that it is gone. It has completely opened up the Docklands to the rest of the city. It has made a huge visual impact as far as I can see…. well worth the expense in removing it. My only query is what happens to all that stone facing. It looks like granite. Its a bit dark and grimy but it should be used for something other than infilling the George Dock.
Another thing I noticed in this area was the stretch of LUAS line under the Loop Line Bridge on Beresford Place. The tarmac on the road has been removed to reveal cobblesets. The contractors seem to be removing the cobble carefully. I hope they will be reused as well. Maybe even relaid between the line. I am sure Store Street was completely cobbled until a few years ago
I think the CC are failing miserably to galvanise public support for a better street but that has always been the way DCC have operated. You only have to look at the city motto to know why. The CC manage the city as they see fit for the citizens of the city and we should be thankful for that…. they know best.
As for the sculptural lighting on the plaza… what will they look like. What will any of the street furniture look like. Its very hard to make a considered judgement without knowing what the end result will be. Have you seen them Graham?
I think flag poles would be better myself…stainless steel of course.
I’m not sure I agree with that arguement….. get rid of the buses and the cars will take their place.
