A VISION OF what a serious overhaul of College Green might look like has been laid out by Dublin City Council.
The plan – which has been in the works since 2014 – will see private cars completely removed from the area.
Some of the proposals were put forward last year as part of the Dublin City Centre Transport study, a joint publication between Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority.
At a meeting of the council today, specific details of the appearance of the new square and access for vehicles were discussed.
Dublin City Council’s head of technical services Brendan O’Brien gave an outline of the shape that the area will take.
What will the new square look like?
The new pedestrianised area will cover a large area in front of the Bank of Ireland building at the top of Dame Street.
Vehicles will still have access along the front of Trinity College – but these will be restricted to buses, cyclists, and possibly taxis.
“This sounds the death knell for the private cars in College Green,” said Cllr. Paddy McCartan, going on to note that the move had the broad support of the council.
Issues were raised on the role of trees would have, and how prominent a feature they would be.
Fianna Fáil’s Frank Kennedy said that too many trees in the area could potentially damage an open space’s ability to “really develop a great sense of atmosphere or occasion” if a public celebration was taking place.
What else was discussed?
Along with the large area on Dame Street, the current plans will also see Suffolk Street pedestrianised, with access restricted to loading before 11am – rules similar to the ones already in place on Grafton Street.
A number of councillors questioned whether Bank of Ireland would be willing to remove railings from the front of its building as part of the project.
City architect Ali Grehan said that a design team will be brought in to assist with the execution of the project, and that the changes will be “very sympathetic” to the historical buildings in the area.
Public consultation on the project is set to begin next month.
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