Dublin Central

fitzyshea

So what do we think of this? Personally I dont think it will get planning permission.

'Park in the Sky' at heart of €1bn O'Connell Street plan
By Paul Melia
Tuesday April 22 2008

A 'PARK in the Sky' soaring 50 metres above Henry Street and commanding panoramic views across the capital is proposed under a €1.25bn redevelopment of Dublin city centre.

In what could be the biggest regeneration project of O'Connell Street in recent years, the capital's main thoroughfare will be transformed if developer Joe O'Reilly is granted planning permission for an ambitious shopping and restaurant quarter in the heart of the city.

Gone will be Dr Quirkey's Good Time Emporium, the Royal Dublin Hotel and a garda sub-station.

Fashion

Instead, the 'Dublin Central' scheme -- which encompasses the Carlton Cinema site -- hopes to become an Irish Bond Street and home to fashion icons such as Prada, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and high-end jewellers.

It will also see the first apartments in 250 years being built on O'Connell Street.

After years of legal wrangling over ownership of the 5.5 acre site -- which is bounded by Parnell Street, O'Connell Street, Henry Street and Moore Street -- a development company set up by Joe O'Reilly called Chartered Land has announced it will seek planning permission for a new city quarter by the end of the week.

And the developers say that Moore Street traders have nothing to fear in the redevelopment.

Dominic Deeny, CEO of Chartered Land, says the market will be left in place and it is planned to turn Moore Street into foodie heaven, with specialist food stores opening beside the traders. "We want to encourage the markets to remain," he said yesterday.

Massive

The massive project will take up to three-and-a-half years to build, and 7,000 people will be employed during the construction stage. Up to 3,000 full-time jobs will be created when it opens in 2013.

In all, 100 shops will be built and 1.7m square feet will be developed, providing 700,000 square feet of retail space.

Two new streets will be created. As yet unnamed, one will link Henry Street to O'Connell Street and be host to high-street retailers such as Zara and Mango; while the other will link O'Connell Street to Moore Street.

The buildings of 14-17 Moore Street -- a national monument used by the leaders of the 1916 Rising for their last stand, will be turned into a commemorative centre.

Two listed buildings -- numbers 42 and 60 O'Connell Street -- will be refurbished and upgraded. An art gallery and performance space will also be created, while the facades of 12 protected structures will be retained.

The Carlton Cinema facade will be moved 50 metres north and become the main entrance to an anchor tenant, who will occupy a 200,000 sq ft store -- about the size of Debenham's on Henry Street.

A restaurant quarter on the fifth storey, overlooking the new streets, will be home to 17 cafes and restaurants. More than 100 apartments will be built, and social and affordable homes will be provided on site.

A thousand underground car parking spaces, accessible from Parnell Street, are also proposed.

Apartments

But at the heart of the project is the Park in the Sky. A triangular building, home to 40 apartments and 12 storeys high, it will have a sloped roof on which the park will be built. Each side will be screened with glass panels, and it will be 50 metres at its highest point.

"We see this as being an 18-hour a day development," Mr Deeny said. "We want it to be primarily a family place. The whole idea is to draw people to the scheme, and it is to encourage tourists to come to this part of the city. We see this going from 5am when the markets open, to 1am when last orders in the restaurant are taken."

A planning application will be lodged with Dublin City Council by the end of the week.

- Paul Melia

Xavi6

The Park in the Sky sounds like nothing more than another out of place eye sore.

I love that part of Dublin the way it is. Leave it alone I say.

Dord

The park in the sky thing looks awful! In the pictures it looks like a dodgy ski lift with grass on the roof of an office block.

John Mason

i would love if they could knock down that dublin bus building.

that really upsets me every morning, it is so horredous, why, dear god why would anyone build such a monstersity?

raheny red

Reminds me of the secret garden on top of the kwiki mart

http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/2/2/4/8/15668422-15668492-large.jpg

cozski

Xavi6 wrote: »

The Park in the Sky sounds like nothing more than another out of place eye sore.

I love that part of Dublin the way it is. Leave it alone I say.

Develop... or die! :eek:

stovelid

fitzyshea wrote: »

Instead, the 'Dublin Central' scheme -- which encompasses the Carlton Cinema site -- hopes to become an Irish Bond Street and home to fashion icons such as Prada, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and high-end jewellers.

Hopefully they've factored security costs into their submission.

MrB

This is great, anything to improve a rather run down and dilapidated part of the city and I'm not just saying this because I live 5 minutes walk away

irishbird wrote:

i would love if they could knock down that dublin bus building.

Oh yes please, that thing is a hideous eyesore!

I am pie

I would be delighted to see the back of Qr Quirky's Skanger Palace...oh yes I would !

Jonny Arson

that end of O'Connell Street needs to have serious character kicked into it but this project is way too tacky and commercial so i'd personally rather see the dump be left alone as it is

i reckon that the project largely will get permission (probably minus the park in the sky), with the construction industry up the sh!tcreek i can see the council just about giving the green light to basically anything that will stimulate activity and employment

however with the Arnotts redevelopment the entire O'Connell Street area of the city is going to be nothing but retail hell

stovelid

Jonny Arson wrote: »

that end of O'Connell Street needs to have serious character kicked into it (

As opposed to being kicked in by serious characters?

I agree though: I'd like to see the redevelopment stay faithful to the history of the street; not be too modern, and just clean it up and bring some life in.

DennisSabre

Nothing will improve O'Connell Street until it's made a skanger free zone.

judas101

+1

Raze Dr. Quirkies says I

Dirk Gently

are detailed plans available online?

Victor

Expect it to show up here in the next few days: http://www.dublincentral.ie/

http://www.charteredland.ie/property.htm

Collie D

Joe Robot wrote: »

The park in the sky thing looks awful! In the pictures it looks like a dodgy ski lift with grass on the roof of an office block.

Have you got a pic? I'm not the most imaginative person so need something visual to get an idea of what we're talkin about here

Dirk Gently

Collie D wrote: »

Have you got a pic? I'm not the most imaginative person so need something visual to get an idea of what we're talkin about here

Jay D

**** it man why not? excellent idea. if they stick a ****e looking syringe smack bang inthe middle of the st I can't see many objections!!

dubtom

Where's this new street 'linking Henry to O'Connell' going to be.Henry already joins O'Connell.

Collie D

clown bag wrote: »

Thanks for that...unusual looking thing..can't see them getting planning permission to be honest but interesting all the same. Although you do know it will be taken over by dirtbags lobbing their empties down onto the street below.

Dirk Gently

dubtom wrote: »

Where's this new street 'linking Henry to O'Connell' going to be.Henry already joins O'Connell.

Looks like two glass roofed streets, creating a triangle from roughly, a mid point on o'connell street, between parnell street and henry street.

Imagine a street going from quirkeys to moore street and from same point at quirkeys coming out mid way between henry street / o connell street junct and henry street /moore street junct.

*above is a pure guess.

BendiBus

A north facing park at a height. It'll be constantly in the shade and probably windy too. It'll be ****ing freezing up there 360 days of the year!

Maybe it'll get snow and we can ski down it

estebancambias

Yes please make this happen.

estebancambias

Is there any way I can lobby for this to happen?

Dord

But I thought you hated the Northside estebananacannibis! :pac:

po0k

This is a smokescreen application, expected to get rejected so they can appear to compromise with the council, build a less ludicrous abomination and the council comes out triumphant.

Dirk Gently

BendiBus wrote: »

A north facing park at a height.

Is it not west facing? Plenty of glazing facing east and south to heat the building under the park. I doubt there'll be too much frost, let alone snow. Could possibly be a nice spot to catch some evening sunshine.

humberklog

It's the fookin' business!
Build it,build it now!
Especially as I'm a civil/structural engineer and work's a bit tight at moment.

dubtom

By the looks of those pics we're looking at 10 years of building/traffic mayhem.






Although I suppose we have that anyway.

lostexpectation

Victor wrote: »

Expect it to show up here in the next few days: http://www.dublincentral.ie/

ah the 'cents shops', that'll be great colloquial name for them, im sure they wanted them to sound expensive

carlmango11

I like it