Many Dubliners have a love-hate relationship with Temple Bar. Whichever way you feel, though, at least it’s not a bus station. Some 30 years ago there were serious moves afoot to plonk a transport hub in the area. The plan never made it off the drawing board and today the city’s unofficial cultural quarter throbs day and night with a unique vibrancy and charm.
“The council’s Liberties greening strategy puts forward a vision for a network of new urban parks, with refurbished green spaces and play areas. Sticking a “super depot” in the heart of old Dublin is a sure way to kill this vision dead..”
Many Dubliners have a love-hate relationship with Temple Bar. Whichever way you feel, though, at least it’s not a bus station. Some 30 years ago there were serious moves afoot to plonk a transport hub in the area. The plan never made it off the drawing board and today the city’s unofficial cultural quarter throbs day and night with a unique vibrancy and charm.
You might think that the council would have learnt from such near-misses when it comes to developing the few remaining urban open spaces between the canals.
You would be wrong. Incredibly, it is forging ahead with plans to develop a “super depot” on a prime 4.6-hectare site in the heart of the Liberties. This centre on Marrowbone Lane would house the council’s fleet of vehicles, replacing various southside depots.
Kieran Rose, a planner and resident in the area, has described the move as “the greatest mistake the city could make”. I could not agree more. This is a huge site with the potential to be a model of what a thriving urban neighbourhood can be, with community facilities, businesses, and old and new homes.
Dublin 8 has a paltry amount of open space. As the mother of a five-year-old, I am all too aware of this. When the refurbished Weaver Park opened recently, people flocked to it, savouring the opportunity to socialise with neighbours in a well-landscaped public space.
The proposed “super depot” development would bring only 100 residential units, two all-weather pitches and some new public spaces. Obviously, housing and sports pitches are welcome, but for the size of the site this is nowhere near enough housing or open space for families to flourish.
Depots like this belong in industrial estates, not in a lively city centre. It makes little sense in terms of sustainable development. What is alarming is that the proposal goes against the council’s own development plan, which states: “Open space and recreation areas are a key component to quality of life for citizens and visitors to the city.”
The council’s Liberties greening strategy puts forward a vision for a network of new urban parks, with refurbished green spaces and play areas. Sticking a “super depot” in the heart of old Dublin is a sure way to kill this vision dead.
This article originally appeared in The Times Ireland
