7.2 - Achievements

At a strategic level, the Luas Cross City link, constructed in 2017, now connects the Grafton Street shopping area on the southern side of the River Liffey to the O’Connell Street / Henry Street shopping area to the north of the river. This public transport infrastructure supports and improves access to the city’s main shopping streets by providing the city’s residents as well as visitors with new options for travelling to the city centre, by allowing people far greater ease of movement around the city and by providing new access routes to the main shopping streets. The arrival of Luas Cross City has and will continue to stimulate private sector investment in the city centre.

Over the last development plan period, a number of large scale mixed use and retail developments have been developed or are currently being progressed in the city centre. These include the flagship refurbishment and extension of the former Clery’s Department Store on O’Connell Street to provide a new retail, office, hotel and food quarter destination.

Other large scale developments include: the redevelopment of Hibernian House / Hibernian Corner / Nassau House on the corner of Nassau Street and Dawson Street to provide large scale retail and office space; the repurposing of the former Central Bank site on Dame Street to provide a mix of offices, retail, cafés and restaurants; and, the completed Chatham & King retail development off Grafton Street. The introduction of a mix of retail, office, hotel and cafes and restaurants will have a significant impact on the visual and commercial heart of the city centre contributing to the daytime, evening and night time economy.

The leisure sector and personal care services have seen substantial growth in the city in the last 10 years. Cafés, restaurants, cinemas, gyms and personal grooming establishments etc. are making a significant contribution to the overall commercial functioning of the city during day, evening and night time.

Convenience retailing (supermarkets) has expanded significantly in all parts of Dublin City over the previous decade, helped by population growth and policy support in the two last development plans. In recent years, the inner city has seen the development of a significant number of new convenience stores particularly in the discount food store sector including at Brunswick Street, Cork Street and East Wall. This new convenience retail provision has provided greater consumer choice and competition and in many areas, has had regeneration benefits and provided much needed neighbourhood scale retail provision.

The improvement of the public realm in the city centre is being addressed through the implementation of the City Council’s Public Realm Strategy (‘Your City - Your Space’, 2012), and area based public realm plans including:

  • the Grafton Street Quarter Public Realm Improvement Plan, 2013;
  • the ‘Heart of the City’ Public Realm Masterplan for the City Core 2016; and
  • the Temple Bar Public Realm Plan, 2016.

Focusing on densely used public spaces and the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, these plans set out guidance and priorities for the city centre for the next 10/15 years. Public realm improvements completed under the ‘Grafton Street Quarter Public Realm Improvement Plan’ include works to Grafton Street, Harry Street, Balfe Street, Chatham Street and Clarendon Street.

The City Centre Pedestrian Wayfinding Scheme provides essential local information (map panels and fingerposts) to help and encourage people to walk around and explore the city. This scheme continues to be expanded around the inner city and it extends to the Docklands, Phibsborough and Raheny. Infrastructure consists of map panel units and fingerposts, carrying c. 1,730 finger panel signs. Since 2016, as new destinations emerged in the city, additional finger panel signs and combined map panel units have been added to the wayfinding system.

The O’Connell Street and Grafton Street Areas of Special Planning Control (ASPCs) remain pivotal in ensuring that only suitable uses are permitted in the heart of the city. Updated Schemes of Special Planning Control were made for O’Connell Street in 2022 and for Grafton Street in 2019. These schemes allow Dublin City Council to specify development objectives for the preservation or enhancement of these areas. This will ensure the protection of the special and unique character of O’Connell Street and Grafton Street, which is intrinsically linked to specific retailers and uses.

A Shopfront Improvement Scheme was launched in 2015 for retail premises in the south western area of the city. Through financial assistance it has assisted a wide range of retailers, small business owners and community organisations to enhance their premises and improve the quality of some of the capital’s most historic streets and urban villages. This scheme has been rolled out to the Finglas / Ballymun area.