Government funding of €114 million is being sought by Dublin City Council to finally kickstart the recommendations of the Taoiseach’s Taskforce for Dublin, published more than a year ago.
On Monday, councillors were presented with plans to establish a wholly owned council company or special purpose vehicle (SPV) to “lead out on the rejuvenation of our city centre” and implement the 10 “big moves” recommended by the taskforce.
Initial projects will include repurposing vacant buildings in the inner city for homes, developing revitalisation plans for O’Connell Street and Moore Street, and moving on-street soup kitchens indoors.
The taskforce was established in May 2024 by then Taoiseach, now Tánaiste Simon Harris in response to riots in the city centre the previous November, incited by far-right agitators in the wake of the stabbing of three children and a carer on Parnell Square.
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Its report, published in October 2024, recommended 10 “big moves” to tackle vacancy, dereliction and public safety in the city, with a price tag of up to €1billion.
Some recommendations were outside the sphere of control of the council, such as the deployment of 1,000 extra gardai to the city centre, and increasing private security on public transport.
Work to develop more long-term initiatives will also be pursued such as the design of a 10-year `integrated area strategy’ for the city centre
However, most are within the council’s remit, such as tackling dereliction and vacancy, and increasing housing in the city.
“The vast majority of the named 10 Big Moves will see Dublin City Council play a lead role in the delivery of these actions with support and oversight from the Department of An Taoiseach and concrete assistance from relevant Government Departments and statutory agencies,” said Karl Mitchell, executive manager of the city co-ordination office, in his report to councillors on Monday.
Among the first projects that will be pursued are the initiation of a “new incentive scheme” for bringing vacant buildings on Middle Abbey Street, Lower Henry Street, and North Frederick Street back into use. A specific `Living Over the Shop Scheme’ will be piloted in Middle Abbey Street.
On O’Connell Street, “key vacant sites” will be targeted for “meanwhile” uses, including cultural facilities, to encourage footfall into the core of the city centre. A new shopfront improvement scheme and a special outdoor dining scheme will also be introduced for O’Connell Street. A series of improvements will be made on Moore Street to develop it as a “re-energised market street”, Mitchell said.
Plans to move on-street soup kitchens indoors through a new “city centre indoor day services plan” will also be implemented, and “service level agreements” with business representative groups and An Garda Síochána for a new safety warden scheme will be developed.
Some recommendations were outside the sphere of control of the council, but most are within its remit
Work to develop more long-term initiatives will also be pursued, such as the design of a 10-year “integrated area strategy” for the city centre, to provide a coherent approach for prioritising, managing and sequencing the major projects. These include the redevelopment of the GPO, the reopening of the Ambassador Theatre, and the redevelopment of the Abbey Theatre.
New legal, oversight and managerial structures are required to implement the recommendations and establish the SPV, Mitchell said. While the implementation of the full taskforce programme is expected to cost up to €1 billion with ongoing running costs of €100 million-€150 million a year, the “initial funding ask from central Government is €114 million”, said Mitchell.
