5.2.2 Access by Sea

Passenger arrivals and departures by ship, ferry and cruise liners is increasing through Dublin Port and will continue with port masterplans proposals including a new cruise terminal. An estimated 1.7 million ferry and cruise passengers pass through the port every year. The entry into the port terminals passes working docks with facilities for goods import and export set within a working landscape.

In contrast to the regenerated docklands further up the Liffey, there is little greening within the vast areas dedicated to port operations.

The potential for greening to enhance the quality of arrival and departures is extensive and may include key areas, such as terminals, to break up extensive car parking areas, quaysides in working docks and derelict areas.

A port greening plan is suggested to bring these greening possibilities to fruition in a coordinated manner.

Creating a landscape/ sculptural gateway is also suggested, subject to feasibility, at the eastern most end of the port lands delivered through the process of a design competition. Signifying the gateway to a city by sea is experienced in New York by the Statue of Liberty, the Gateway of India in Mumbai and the Opera House in Sydney.