Reports of a taskforce proposal to relocate RT\u00c9 to the GPO on O\u2019Connell Street prove that the Government is not serious about the rejuvenation of Dublin city centre, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon.<\/p>\n
Deputy Gannon, who is a TD for Dublin Central, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as he became Taoiseach, Simon Harris vowed to make the decline of our capital a priority when he set up the Dublin City Centre Taskforce \u2013 something I had repeatedly been calling for \u2013 with a report promised within 12 weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, 26 weeks later \u2013 and five weeks after it was first sent to the Taoiseach \u2013 the taskforce has put forward a number of recommendations, including a harebrained proposal to relocate RT\u00c9\u2019s studios to the GPO.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who walks down O\u2019Connell Street every day, like I do, doesn\u2019t need to be reminded of the need for proper investment \u2013 but this sort of pie in the sky stuff won\u2019t make the area any safer or more attractive to visit or do business in.<\/p>\n
\u201cDublin needs a range of urgent measures to tackle creeping dereliction, heavily littered streets and poor lighting, as well as a static policing presence that is not dependent on garda overtime. Initiatives should also be considered to develop residential accommodation on O\u2019Connell Street to encourage people to live in the area, which would help create a new sense of community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I remain open to any sensible proposals that may be put forward by the taskforce, moving RT\u00c9\u2019s operation from Donnybrook to the historic GPO building is not something that has a realistic chance of ever happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fanciful proposal cannot distract from the fact that not a single cent was allocated in the recent budget to the revitalisation of our beautiful city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout ringfenced funding, the taskforce\u2019s work will be futile and their proposals will join the endless pile of reports carried out on O\u2019Connell Street but never implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n
October 15, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reports of a taskforce proposal to relocate RT\u00c9 to the GPO on O\u2019Connell Street prove that the Government is not serious about the rejuvenation of Dublin city centre, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon, who is a TD for Dublin Central, said: \u201cAs soon as he became Taoiseach, Simon Harris vowed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[495,316,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dublin-city-centre","category-gary-gannon","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n