Council extends policy in bid to rejuvenate O’Connell Street

Dublin City Councillors have agreed to extend a policy which restricts the types of businesses allowed to open on O’Connell Street.

At this month’s council meeting, councillors voted to renew the long-standing plan which aims to revitalise the street.

The local authority recently carried our a public consultation on the policy and how its plans to rejuvenate the street were being met in the community.

In a report presented to councillors last week, the council said that 15 submissions were received, including observations from the Office of the Planning Regulator, Fáilte Ireland, Office of Public Works, Savills, and MEP Ciaran Cuffe.

Savills, which owns 2-4 O’Connell Street Lower asked the council allow more variation in the types of businesses it can rent out the premises to with having to apply for planning permission.

The company said it wants to potentially rent to businesses selling “cosmetics/beauty products; hairdressers; health food shops; launderette or dry cleaners; mobile phone shop and related goods; wine shops; personal care and grooming services; pharmacy; supermarket.”

Savills says the current policy “downgrades” O’Connell Street from a Category 1 to a Category 2 shopping street, “providing less focus on retail.”

However, chief executive of the council Owen Keegan said he did not recommend amending the plan.

“The requirement that applicants seek planning permission for certain uses aligns with the overall vision and objectives of the SSPC [Special Scheme of Planning Control],” he said.

The policy allowed planners to assess the application and determine if there is an over-saturation of that type of business on O’Connell Street, Keegan said.

Although councillors voted to continue the policy and extend the scope of the SSPC for O’Connell street, some said that the current plan was not producing results.

Green Party Councillor Donna Cooney said the council needs to be more ambitious and improve the streetscape.

“We need more greenery and we need some of the traffic off that road,” she said. “Maybe we should be looking at diverting the buses off that street.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha said he would support the continuation of the scheme but questioned the “efficacy of it.”

“What practical effect does it have?,” he asked.

Other councillors commented on the current condition of the street, with Independent councillor Vincent Jackson saying the local authority needs to “bring life into it.”