Plans For Major Meath Street Redevelopment Get Green Light
By: Aidan Crowley:
Comprehensive plans for a major redevelopment of Meath Street in the historic Liberties area of Dublin, have finally been approved by Dublin City Council (DCC).The plans, part of the Meath Street Public Realm Improvement Scheme, have been subject to design and planning processes in recent years and were formally approved by DCC, back in December 2023. Since then, a further phase of work has been undertaken to develop detailed drawings for the project, ahead of tendering for the main works contractor.
Local residents got a closer look at the planned upgrade of the street, which will cost Euros 5 million, at a recent public information event, held at the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Dean Street.The local community can now look forward to a new, pristine and dynamic streetscape which will greatly enhance the day-to-day lives of residents.
The redevelopment scheme will see a number of new initiatives undertaken, including the widening of footpaths, more space being allocated to pedestrians, bicycle parking, installing a new pedestrian crossing and set down parking zones. The scheme also allows for a wider range of street uses, such as outdoor public seating and street markets. In addition, the proposals include a remit for the planting of new trees and the landscaping of the street.
Mirroring the works completed on neighbouring Francis Street, two years ago, the scheme will retain through traffic on the street, while reducing the width of the carriageway to a single lane for most of the street. This will permit footpaths to be widened to four metres in parts, greatly increasing pedestrian space and allowing for the addition of trees and public seating.
The Meath Street redevelopment project was first mooted, back in 2018, when initial ideas to enhance the street were discussed with local businesses and residents. Since then, the design has been refined and developed to reflect, as far as practicable, the wide range of opinions on how the street should be upgraded. A public consultation on the final design was undertaken in August and September 2023, with almost two hundred and thirty submissions received, many of them detailed.
Speaking on behalf of the design team, DCC spokesperson, Stephen Coyne, said: “The submissions ranged from hugely supportive of the scheme, to a small number of submissions dead set against change. However, in the middle, local residents and businesses all raised concerns, offered support and ideas, or requested specific practical changes to the plan. In the next stage of the project, called detailed design, we’ll go through all these submissions and see how we can refine the scheme, to ensure as many people as possible feel their inputs have been reflected in the finished street”.
Best known as one of Dublin’s traditional market streets, the upgrade design will attempt to encourage a rejuvenation of market life on Meath Street. The newly widened footpaths can be used for occasional street market events, or even casual trading pitches, if there is a demand.
“We’re suggesting that small electrical points can be installed to service events and provide power sources for stall lights. It’s something you commonly see in the UK and on the continent, so why not in Dublin? Potential markets will be clustered close to the existing Liberty Market and would help to draw a whole new audience to Meath Street. At a time when retail and ‘bricks-and-mortar’ shops are struggling to compete with changing shopping habits and online retailing, streets like Meath Street, which are outside the traditional retail core, need to find a new direction and draw in new uses and ideas. That’s not just down to DCC, it’s really up to the street’s business community”, explained Coyne.
One particular trend that Meath Street has seen in recent years, is a growth in the number of cafes and other eateries, in addition to the refurbishment of the street’s pubs and bars. This in turn has resulted in requests for outside terraces and public seats on the street, which the redesign has sought to accomodate.
Another key objective of the redevelopment project is to improve the environment of the street. Following on from the greening of Francis Street, when nineteen trees were added to the streetscape, it’s hoped to plant a similar number of trees on Meath Street. These landscaping measures will result in a dramatic increase in tree cover on the main commercial streets of the Liberties.
“We’ll hear less of the ‘concrete jungle’ that some people complain of about the area”, added Coyne.
While the initial stages of the redevelopment scheme were punctuated by some difficulties, the overall project has resulted in the local community thinking about the future of Meath Street and the role that the street should have in the life of the city. The investment in public realm is intended to encourage people who own businesses and buildings along the street, or who live above shops and businesses, to also invest in the street’s future.
Much of the work done at the detailed design stage involves the surveying and mapping of underground utilities and understanding sitr conditions, as well as incorporating some of the suggestions that arose during the public consultations.
A series of advance works for utilities will be required, before repaving begins. This includes a major upgrade of an existing 19th Century watermains, along the centre of the street, by water utility, Uisce Eireann. The old cast-iron mains will be re-lined with modern materials, to bring it up to modern standards.
The detailed design drawings were presented to local businesses and the public in April, ahead of the advance works, which are iminent. Meanwhile, the main public realm works are planned to begin in September. Construction will take between twelve to eighteen months and will progress in stages along the street, so that access to the street is maintained. The main works contractor will be responsible for communications and the day-to-day management of the site.
“With a fair wind, we should start construction of the project this year. It will likely take from twelve to eighteen months to complete, working in stages along the street, so that disturbance is minimised. When it’s completed, we’ll be able to look at the three principle streets of the Liberties, Thomas & James Street, Francis Street and Meath Street, all with significantly enhanced public realm. As places for people to linger, relax and enjoy the street, with less dominance of cars and parking.With, hopefully, more confidence to invest in the buildings and businesses of these streets, that make them special and different”, concluded Coyne.
https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=30889
