The Dublin City Taskforce has unveiled its new report recommending ‘Ten Big Moves’ to rejuvenate the city centre.
Launched by Taoiseach Simon Harris at the GPO today, the report aims to revitalize Dublin into a more attractive, safe, and vibrant place to live, work, and visit.
The Taskforce, chaired by David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, was established in May 2024 and took a holistic, evidence-based approach to the challenges facing the city.
It highlights public safety, the improvement of public spaces, and boosting business and tourism as top priorities.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “We need our city centre to be a place that attracts more people to live, work, do business and visit.
“I welcome the taskforce’s recommendations particularly the focus on revitalising O’Connell street and making great use of the iconic GPO building.
“I want a new vision for our capital city for the young, old and tourists who want to continue to visit our city centre time and time again.
“It deserves a brighter future. It deserves dedicated resources, and it deserves a vision. We now have it.”
Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee said:
“I will continue to prioritise safety and security on the streets of our capital city. It is imperative that people are safe and feel safe.
“Garda numbers are strengthening and 64% of the latest Garda intakes were allocated to Dublin.
“I am ensuring Gardaí have more resources and better equipment with which to police our streets.
“I have also begun the rollout of body worn cameras, starting with Dublin Gardaí, which will provide them with a vital evidence gathering tool when investigating incidents, and I will legislate for facial recognition technology to strengthen this.”
The ‘Ten Big Moves’ as outlined in the report are:
- Revitalise O’Connell Street and environs – Adapt Area of Special Planning Control for fast tracked planning and mixed use – State purchase and retendering of key vacant sites – Redevelop the General Post Office (GPO) as major public building – Develop area as cultural hub – Fast-track the delivery and funding of DCC’s public realm projects – Convert above ground-floor for residential use
- Prioritise the total regeneration of social housing complexes in the city centre – Grant approval of exchequer funding in full – Simplify planning, procurement and project management approvals
- Convert derelict sites into high-density residential with provision for essential workers – Increase significantly DCC’s revolving fund to purchase vacant and derelict sites – Create a public-private partnership for high-density residential development – Launch a grant aid scheme for housing of citycentre essential workers Executive Summary
- Make policing and security more visible and add 1000 more Gardaí – Add 1000 gardaí to city centre area to bring to EU average and accelerate re-assignment of An Garda Síochána (AGS) non-core duties – Establish city warden programme to support policing – Expand private security on public transport with increased powers – Upgrade CCTV network and enact legislation for real time monitoring – Relocate O’Connell Street garda station to the GPO pending development
- Deliver more targeted and better located services for vulnerable populations in the city centre – Ensure emergency accommodation and processing facilities are more equitably spread across Greater Dublin – Develop and enact new bye laws to regulate onstreet charitable services – Reduce street-based, poly-drug use through enhanced services
- Implement a dedicated waste management plan for the city centre – Withdraw derogation on bagged waste immediately – Move to a single waste management provider in city centre via tender process – Run city-centre anti-litter campaign – Establish city warden programme 9 Taoiseach’s Taskforce for Dublin
- Operate the City Centre Transport Plan with agility – Implement the next phases of the Transport Plan – Direct EU last mile consolidated delivery project – Increase night-time transport services – Repurpose some major carparks for cycle parking and logistic hubs – Create orbital sites for 24/7 coach parking with EV shuttle services
- Offer Dubliners compelling reasons to visit the city centre – Develop a meanwhile-use strategy and plan to utilise the city’s vacant space – Identify 3-4 high footfall areas to create attractive “visitor corridors” – Reimagine the Dubline trail as a key visitor attraction – Provide funding for cultural institutions to stay open later in the evening – Develop a plan to deliver sustainable development of hotels – Fund and promote Dublin’s Night-Time Economy strategy – Continue the basic income scheme for artists and expand Space to Create scheme
- Create a marketing and communications function for Dublin – Run ‘always-on’ marketing campaigns – Develop major digital platform for Dubliners – Manage the meanwhile-use plan – Coordinate a multi-year events programme across public and private sectors – Extend Smart Dublin data sharing
- Evolve appropriate governance for a capital city – Establish a team under the Department of the Taoiseach to drive implementation of the Taskforce plan over three years – Make decision on the enduring governance for the city – Identify lessons learnt from implementation to be applied to other parts of Dublin and the country
The Dublin City Taskforce Report is available to view here.
