urbanisto
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More bright plastic crap
TGI Fridays and (another) Starbucks set to open within weeks at the former Bewleys cafe on Westmoreland Street http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0424/1224315103702.html
DCC Planners at pains to point out how carefully the development will need to address this sensitive and high profile building. They don’t give a shite about the rest of the city.
The An Taisce Dublin report/complaint published in 2010 that highlighted the degree of unauthorised development and the plethora of crap facades and shitty signage along this and other street in the heart of the city centre went unanswered and un-acted upon.
It seems that the commitment to remove the brown wayfinder signage about the city hasn’t been acted upon..at least not to any great extent. Wandering about the city at the weekend I noticed loads of locations where the brown signs remain in place beside the new blue…including College Green and Grafton Street. The original plan was for DCC Planning to install the blue signage and DCC Roads to remove the old stuff.
Came across this Tweet at weekend…”Let us know about poles and sign posts in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown that have no sign on them or are redundant: unnecessarysignposts@dlrcoco.ie“
Doesnt look like Smithfield is included in this list http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/CasualTradingLicence/Pages/default.aspx but there is already a small market on Smithfield and its not as if there are no vacant shop units that need filling. I’m not really sure stalls will help. I think stalls need anchor shops to attract footfall.
Smithfield Fruit Market…would you call it that. I always think of the Markets area as separate from Smithfield. Preliminary works have already begun on the Market Hall. Interesting collection of images here http://www.dublincityarchitects.ie/?p=98#more-98
Public realm is a key to the success of the Markets I would think. Its is uniformly awful in this part of the city. Perhaps this might help http://dubcitybeta.wordpress.com/
And here is another Facebook-led campaign for a public realm project…this time on that strip of wasteland beside the Luas line between Smithfield and Queen Street
http://www.facebook.com/arttunnelsmithfield
Interestingly the site is owned by the Bargaintown owner according to the blurb. The campaign is now seeking €5,000 funding to realise the garden/installation. I am sure RPA must be able to stump up something! Dice Bar and new businesses on Benburb Street are also contributing.
I think its a great idea….beats the buddelia.
Because cellars are in use below ground? Meaning street has never been excavated. Also the granite is more hardwearing with kegs slamming into it than the humble concrete slab.
On the otherhand…it could also be due to an appreciation of heritage on the part of pub owners. In the same way that they manage to maintain their historic frontages and fixtures (for the most part)
Currently seeking planning permission for…a takeaway and replacement of said shopfront. Of an retention permission for all those ongoing works. Ref 2217/12 was invalidated but I understand they are going in again.
Planning permission is sought for the upgrading, refurbishment, extension and re-roofing of the existing two storey over shop building including: A) The conversion of existing retail/Shop unit on ground floor to restaurant/take-away facility including food preparation , storage area to front and rear. B) The conversion of existing residential accommodation at first and second floor to a one-bedroomed apartment (at each level). The work includes the demolition of a rear return at first floor level to facilitate the construction of a new return at first and second floor level and the provision of new recessed private balcony to the rear of each apartment. C) The upgrading and refurbishment of the buildings exterior and street elevation including the replacement of existing shopfront at ground floor level including the provision of external halogen signage lighting,. Please note that some of the above works have commenced on site and this application seeks the retention of such partial works.
There is a lot of dodgy dealings going on down on Aungier Street (lets not forget, a street included some of the city’s oldest surviving buildings.) The attractiveness of the street to cheap and cheerful new uses is growing as business seek a position close to the main retail core but without the high rental…you can see already a new plant store and ‘cafe’ half-heartedly inserted into vacant units at 19 and 20. No 21, the most historic house on the street for many, remains a refugee hostel and halfway house, despite its tax status its intact timber interiors. Imagine that, a building dating from 1680, extremely rare, used as a hostel! I understand that No 25…dating from about 1720 was also recently fecked over…perhaps Graham /Gunter will have heard more.
Abercrombie & Fitch now starting the fitout of their new store on College Green. Due to open for summer I imagine.
I was down in Smithfield last night. There is just a small section of Haymarket to be completed (with cobbling) and some minor fixing up about the square and yet huge sections still given over to the work site. Its dragging on now just a tad. Lets just get the work finished and start building life and business in the area DCC. The newly repaved streets look great and I think the area will start to lift. Generator is a great anchor for the square and the Lighthouse is holding its own, what with another new cinema opened at Point Village.
No Aungier Street thread…this will do.
No doubt GrahamH will soon treat us to a visual feast and overview, but I stood admiring this recently revealed confection on the corner of Aungier Street and York Street yesterday afternoon.
Well its the latest craze to hit Dublin. Last year we had milkshake bars making yummy shakes from every conceivable chocolate bar. This year its the turn of Ye Olde Sweetie Shopes… here are some recent pop-ups (in the parlance of the times)
Temple Bar
Fownes Street
Dame Street…Aul Mr Simms
The next phase of wayfinder signage is to be rolled out in Docklands in the coming weeks, replacing the existing units (many of which are in bits).
Two weeks to go to St Patrick’s Day and the start of the tourist season and one would expect a bit of a spruce up about town…not here on College Green.
@Service charge wrote:
Anyone know what is happening with the chimney btw? The elevator shaft seemed to be collapsing last time I was up that way.
defunct
A TGI Fridays franchise was recently announced for the Fleet Street building of the former Bewleys – the one with the famous windows. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/commercialproperty/2012/0215/1224311791484.html The article sheds some light on the various ownerships on the street.
The main development on this street – not mentioned here – is the new Starbucks/Language School and Solicitors which opened in the former EBS building. What a difference to the dead frontage that has dogged this building for so many years. But isn’t it curious that all through the boom this building couldn’t be developed but suddenly finds it mojo in the slump.
Its not enough to help poor Westmoreland Street though….as with so many city centre streets the decent continues. Plastic now rules in the city centre and its a free for all as far as business is concerned. DCC are invisible. I heard that a recent initiative by the management at City Council to encourage underworked Development planners to transfer to Enforcement (and augment the current 3 staff there!) met with stony silence and no takers.
@gunter wrote:
what the fuck is this?
are you telling me they’ve taken up the cobbles and put down grass?
grass?
on Smithfield?
Yup. Its already looking a bit peaky. This will be battered earth by summer’s end, in much the same way as Jervis Park went. But they wont be told.
Smartened up again on the connection through to Church Street. Getting people moving through from Capel Street to Smithfield is all important. Dont get me started on those bollards though…
Presumably a NAMA property, this building has been vacant since its completion. At the very least the railing surrounding it could be removed.
