Anger over planned street name

North inner city
residents have strongly opposed a proposal to have a local street renamed.

Northside People
has learned that while the plan to rename Upper Sheriff Street has the support
of many locals living in the Castleforbes apartment complex, others are angered
by the move.

A discussion on
the proposed name change was instigated recently on a website forum by
Castleforbes residents, most of whom have not been living there for not much
longer than five years.

The street is
made up of new apartments and businesses and is distinctly separate from the
historic Sheriff Street area where some local families have lived for
generations.

A recent post on
the website stated that a group of residents are proposing that the name of
Upper Sheriff Street be changed to Point Village Road.

“The section of
Upper Sheriff Street involved would extend from the junction of East Wall Road
to the junction with New Wapping St,

? the post states.

“This proposed
name change would, I believe, more accurately reflect the modern profile of the
streetscape and more importantly offer improved directional guidance to
visiting motorists and pedestrians seeking out the Point Village.

?

Terrence Bowden
(34), who lives on Upper Sheriff Street, contacted Northside People to inform all locals that certain residents
in the area were beginning the process of attempting to rename the street.

He believed many
residents in the area were not aware of the move and maintained that much of
the conversation about the issue is being conducted almost exclusively among
users of the website forum.

“At the moment
that discussion is confined to the website,

? he claimed.

“Nobody seems to
be taking on the views of the broader community.

“I am not sure
why people feel the need to change the name now. It would be different if the
name was offensive but it isn’t.

?

Marie O’Reilly,
who lives on nearby Upper Mayor Street and is a member of the North Port Dwellers
Residents’ Association, said she was opposed to the name change.

“There are
historical reasons why the street is called Upper Sheriff Street,

? she
explained.

“Do we come along and change every street name because people want
to change it?

“I don’t know
what reason those people have for wanting to change it. If you are being
totally honest, some people have a certain idea of what Sheriff Street might
suggest but I certainly don’t have it.

“I have lived
here all my life. I live only one street back from Sheriff Street and I have
absolutely no problem with it.

?

Cllr Nial Ring
(Ind) also said he would be opposed to the name change.

“I would be
against the renaming of any of these streets because of the historical
significance of the names,

? he told Northside People.

Residents behind
the move will have to go through a rigorous and expensive process to have a
chance of succeeding in getting the name of the street changed.

They will have
to pay

?¬5,000 to initiate the process and this would merely ensure that the
proposal to change the name of the street is voted on by residents living in
the immediate area.

Even if locals
vote to change the name, councillors and the city council would ultimately have
to rubber stamp the proposal.

Hugh McKenna,
senior executive officer in the Central Area office of Dublin City Council,
noted that the city council’s heritage officer was opposed to the proposed name
change.

“One of the
policies in the Dublin City Development plan is to preserve place and street
names and to ensure that new street names should reflect appropriate historical
and cultural association,

? he said.

“There is a
policy with regards to changing street names within the city development plan,
so the heritage officer has evoked that policy and it is his job as the
heritage officer to support and defend the heritage of Dublin City.

?

Northside People
attempted to contact the residents in the Castleforbes apartment blocks on
Upper Sheriff Street who are in favour of the name change process but they
could not be reached for comment.