Broad welcome as College Green plaza plan rejected

THE Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Nial Ring, has welcomed An Bord Pleanála’s decision to refuse permission for a pedestrian plaza at College Green.

In its ruling, the planning board cited concerns about traffic and the impact that removing vehicles from Dame Street would have on bus services across the city. The Dublin City Council plan is now considered to be dead.

Cllr Ring said that while the idea of a civic space was laudable, he had always believed that College Green was the wrong place for it on the basis that it is an essential north-south bus and taxi route across the city.

He stated: “I was not surprised that the board found that plans to re-route buses along the quays were not appropriate and that there were unresolved capacity issues to accommodate bus services. We shouted this from the rooftops since day one but Dublin City Council ploughed ahead with the proposal.”

The Lord Mayor said the board had raised concerns about the capacity of existing footpaths on the quays to accommodate increased numbers of pedestrians.

He added: "Not only buses would have been affected, but the board also found that the proposed plaza would have had negative impacts on general traffic, bus passengers, taxis and access to hotels and car parks. This impact would, in my view, have torn the heart out of the commercial and retail sector within the city centre, with resultant decline in this sector and an adverse impact on employment in the city centre which provides a significant proportion of the rate base of the city.”

Cllr Ring said while he had been accused of being anti-cyclist in his stance, the board had also raised safety concerns for bicycle users and pedestrians in their report. He also noted that the impact on emergency vehicles was “unsatisfactory”, with the plan only having a positive impact on Luas services.

“There was one positive and so many negatives so this is a well thought out decision that will save the city centre as far as I’m concerned,” he concluded.

Dublin Chamber said it was unsurprised by An Bord Pleanála's decision to refuse permission for a pedestrian plaza at Dublin's College Green. However, it challenged planners to come up with a fresh proposal that will allow for a plaza to become a reality.

Dublin Chamber's Head of Public Affairs, Graeme McQueen, said: "Dublin Chamber has always been supportive of the concept of a pedestrianised plaza at College Green, but we were never convinced by the plans that were put forward. Our position was always one of qualified support, but repeated calls for stronger traffic analysis were never answered.

“It is unsurprising, therefore, that An Bord Pleanála have decided against the proposals. We remain supportive of more pedestrianised areas in Dublin – we absolutely need them. But increased public transport investment and proper planning is required to allow for that to be possible."

Mr McQueen added that the board’s decision recognised many of the concerns that had been raised by the business community, including a lack of information and analysis regarding the capability of the surrounding areas to accommodate displaced commuters and traffic, particularly buses.

"This decision should not be seen as a victory for anyone,” he continued. “The traffic situation in Dublin, particularly around the core city centre, remains a daily problem for Dubliners that is significantly eroding people’s quality of life. The board’s decision is a result of decades of poor planning and significant under-investment in the city's public transport network.

“The decision to repeatedly kick key projects such as Metro North and DART Underground down the road is now coming home to roost. Having those pieces of infrastructure in place would make projects such as a plaza at College Green infinitely more possible."

Business group DublinTown said It was clear that the city centre needs a world class civic space. However, it stated that while the development of the College Green plaza had significant merit, An Bord Pleanála clearly noted the same concerns that were expressed by DublinTown in its submission in June 2017 and during the oral hearing phase of the planning process in March 2018, “specifically, in relation to the traffic analysis carried out, the impacts on public transport and the ability of Dublin citizens to be able to access the city centre in a manner of their choosing”.

 In a statement, DublinTown said it believes there is a significant opportunity to create a well-managed, world class civic space in Dublin city centre. 

“We still support the idea of a plaza in principle but there is a need for greater coordination for planning around traffic interventions which also need to be clearly communicated to and understood by the wider public as part of a city-wide overall plan.” 

The statement added: “DublinTown looks forward to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that Dublin fulfils its potential as an accessible, world class capital city.”