Temple Bar Company calls for Dublin City Centre recovery plan

This morning the Temple Bar Company announced plans for a virtual St Patricks’ week of events with musicians Frankie Gavin & Louise Mulcahy performing a lament for an empty Temple Bar. 

However, the group warns that Temple Bar & Dublin City Centre cannot survive ‘online’ for another 12 months.

On March 15^th 2020, the business community in Temple Bar closed their doors for what everyone thought would be 3 weeks, perhaps even 6 months.

Twelve months later Dublin’s’ Cultural Quarter & Dublin City Centre remains firmly shuttered.

Prior to this pandemic over 64,000 people walked its cobbled streets on a daily basis, an annualized footfall of 23 million people.

Hundreds of businesses, commercial and cultural vied for the ‘crowds’ businesses.

Temple Bar is 28 acres in size, about the size of small city park.

Its success was based on the buzz of large numbers of people packed into in largely small spaces.

Pre Covid St Patrick’s week in Temple Bar was the equivalent of the 4^th of July celebrations in the USA, the height of the Dublin Tourism season.

Now, like the rest of the city centre, Temple Bar is one of the quietest areas in Ireland.

Since March 15^th 2020 over 2,600 people have found themselves out of work as a direct result of the pandemic, including hundreds of musicians.

The area has foregone over €200 million in lost trade and the exchequer loses over €1 million in taxes forgone each week since its doors closed.

The businesses and cultural organizations within the area accept that the highly transmissible variant now associated with the Covid 19 pandemic and the area’s dependence on small indoor spaces means that they must remain closed.

However, The Temple Bar Company as a representative body in the area calls on Minister for Housing Planning and Local Government Darragh O Brien TD to immediately establish a city centre recovery taskforce and to allocate funds specifically to areas like Temple Bar and other city centre areas to stimulate their economies to help them re-open safely and to survive the inevitable difficulties the area will face once it re-opens.

The Temple Bar Company CEO Martin Harte said:  “We need a plan as to how the city will re-open, not a press release telling us when.

“This plan must be adequately funded and proactively deal with the reality of city life in a post Covid era.

“Money must be ring-fenced to be spent in the city centre otherwise Dublin City Centre faces ruin, we have all seen what happens when city centres fail, notably Detroit.

“There is no point waiting until June then issuing a press release saying the city is open.  Solutions need to be in place for when the city opens.”

Key solutions put forward by The Temple Bar Company as the city reopens would include:

The immediate establishment of a time limited Covid response unit involving key city centre stakeholders with the ability to quickly breakdown bureaucratic barriers and ensure that business can trade, and that people can safely enjoy Dublin City Centre.

Businesses whose turnover is down 30% or more must be included in the Rates Waiver scheme which must be extended for the city Centre until mid-2022.

EWSS for qualifying city centre businesses to remain for 12 months from the date of reopening.

The funding of small, controlled and managed outdoor cultural events across the city entre, from outdoor movies to markets, make the city attractive to families again.  In addition, we require the establishment of an event led research programme such as the plan Liverpool City are currently implementing.

Coherent well designed street furniture for each of the city quarters, not a mish-mash of patio furniture and greenhouses witnessed during the first reopening in 2020.

The application of the same rules for the management of outdoor space across the country

Funding for science-based technologies such as air de-contamination technologies for use in restaurants, theatres, cultural centers, and places of worship.  In addition for such technology to be used in public transport – the solutions already exist.

The creation of large-scale pedestrian only zones to facilitate culture and dining (e.g. pedestrianize Parliament Street, bus lanes around Dame street).

The development of Meeting House Square into a vibrant 7 day per week cultural space that facilitates dining and culture.

Allow increased numbers on public transport to get more people into the city centre.

Relax the compulsory “stay at home” message for city centre workers.

The company say they will make more detailed submissions over the coming weeks to both the Minister & Dublin City Council, Failte Ireland and other relevant departments.

Despite the challenges, the traders, through The Temple Bar Company, continue to support and promote Irish music and this week TradFest Temple Bar are streaming a series of streamed concerts to mark St Patricks Week@home.

From March 18^th -21^st, TradFest brings some of our greatest artists and performers to audiences at home and abroad.

Beginning on March 18^th join Stephen Rea, TradFest patron, as he leads a very special tribute to his late friend and renowned poet Derek Mahon, he will be joined by Matt Molloy, Neil Martin, Paddy Glackin, & Felispeaks.

On Friday night, March 19^th join legendary fiddler Frankie Gavin and Sibéal Ní Chasaide for an unforgettable evening of music.

Then on Saturday March 20^th settle back for a night of the much -loved songs made famous by The Dubliners. Performed by Ronnie’s son & acclaimed musician in his own right Phelim Drew & The Drew Band.

The series wraps up on Sunday afternoon with a rousing concert featuring over 16 artists who performed during the TradFest@home January concert programme and features the Hothouse Flowers, Tolu McKay, Dervish, Altan, Aoife Scott, Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and many more. For more and to book tickets see www.tradfest.ie