URBAN PHOTOGRAPHS

Urban Expression And Depression By Infomatique

A7RIII

THE DOCKLANDS AREA WAS A HUGE CONSTRUCTION SITE

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THE DOCKLANDS AREA WAS A HUGE CONSTRUCTION SITE BACK IN OCTOBER 2018

It is many months since I last visited the Docklands area of the city so I might try to visit before Christmas to see how many of the projects have been completed.

Dublin Docklands is an area of the city of Dublin, Ireland, on both sides of the River Liffey, roughly from Talbot Memorial Bridge eastwards to the 3Arena.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the docklands area was regenerated as an extension of the business hub of Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). By 2008 the area had over 599 enterprises. While growth slowed considerably due to the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, since 2014, property values and development activity has made a recovery.

New infrastructure, built in the area in the 21st century, has included the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the LUAS Docklands extension. Venues, including the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, the refurbished 3Arena and the Convention Centre Dublin are also in the area.

DESTRUCTION AND REDEVELOPMENT AT FITZWILLIAM STREET

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DESTRUCTION AND REDEVELOPMENT AT FITZWILLIAM STREET AS SEEN FROM BAGGOT STREET

These images date from Christmas 2018 I had intended to return every few months to photograph any progress but was unable to do so for a variety of reasons so I decided to go ahead and publish them today. Hopefully I will visit the area within the next two or three weeks.

Little more than fifty years after the demolition of 16 Georgian houses on Lower Fitzwilliam Street the ESB decided to redevelop its headquarters.

The 1964 demolition/development effectively destroyed Dublin’s longest Georgian facade, from Mount Street to Leeson Street and of course that attracted much protest at the time. Dublin Corporation were convinced by the the protests and refused permission for the demolition and development of the site. However, on September 30th, 1964, the day before the new Planning Act which established a national planning system came into force, Neil Blaney, then minister for local government, signed an order overturning the corporation’s decision and the destruction of the 16 houses proceeded.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

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THOSE WERE THE DAYS THE CELEBRITY REFLECTION VISITS THE TOWN OF COBH

It is somewhat amusing [not sure that’s the right word] that a cruise ship visits a town featuring a memorial to the Titanic as well as the Lusitania Memorial.

You need to stand beside in order to appreciate how big it is. I spoke to a few passengers who were on the train with me on their way to visit cork City and they told me that there were more than 1,000 cabins.

Celebrity Reflection is the fifth, final, and largest Solstice-class cruise ship, her sister ships being Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Silhouette. Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse and Silhouette entered service in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 respectively. Reflection was launched in 2012.

Since October 2012, it has been owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises. It has one more deck than other Solstice-class cruise ships. The ship can accommodate over 3,609 passengers, more than any other Celebrity cruise ship. The Population of Cobh is fewer than 13,000.

Celebrity Reflection is scheduled to undergo a dry dock in January 2023.

THE DOCKLANDS AREA OF CORK

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THE DOCKLANDS AREA OF CORK UNDERGOING MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT AT PRESENT

9 November 2020

Cork City Council and The Land Development Agency confirm the establishment of a new Delivery Office for Cork City Docklands. The Cork Docklands Delivery Office will lead the development of thousands of homes and the creation of a new urban centre for international investment into Cork City. The partnership will seek to promote a regeneration project of international scale and significance in Cork City.

Cork City Docklands is Ireland’s largest regeneration project. Over 146ha of land will be developed over a period of 20 years. This will accommodate a population of c.25,000 and a workforce of c.29,000 along with a student population of c.3,700.

The Cork Docklands Delivery Office will be funded by the LDA and Cork City Council. The project partners are seeking substantial funding from Government under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). The Delivery Office will work to unlock the regeneration of the Cork City Docklands. It will be tasked with creating partnerships and removing obstacles to development. It will co-ordinate stakeholder engagement and consultation.

It is intended that the Delivery Office build an internationally recognised brand for the Cork City Docklands. This brand will act as a magnet for major inward investment projects, similar to the IFSC in Dublin, and across Europe, such as Hammarby in Stockholm, Aarhaus in Denmark, and HafenCity in Germany.

Among the projects which are being examined by the partnership are developments at Marina Park, further embracing the River Lee as an amenity, and the improvement of transport with the development of a transport hub at Kent Station, and a priority given to sustainable and active transport along with a mix of amenity and transport infrastructure. The developments will include homes, schools, medical and social services, sports and recreation facilities, office space, pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels retail and two new bridges for the city. Sustainable development and access to public transport links will be at the heart of the project.

The Delivery Office will be guided by a steering group led by the CEO of Cork City Council and the CEO of the LDA and will involve a range of State Bodies and local stakeholders.

The LDA and Cork City Council will begin the search for a Programme Manager immediately, to lead the Cork Docklands Delivery Office.

The Docklands area is already seeing extensive development. 82,475 sqm of office development is in construction or completed with over 12,000 sqm in the planning process. Over 1,600 residential units are currently in the planning process in the area. 136 hotel rooms are constructed or in construction with 265 rooms seeking planning.

In the first twelve months of operation, it is intended that the new Docklands Delivery Office will review all existing plans, meet key landowners and stakeholders and develop a deliverable but ambitious five- year strategy for the Docklands. The plan will also identify early deliverables to build momentum.

Cllr. Joe Kavanagh, Lord Mayor of Cork, said:

“This is a major step forward in unlocking the potential of Cork City Docklands. This new partnership and Delivery Office, which will be fully resourced, will build momentum and bolster the environment in which development can take place. Cork City Docklands will be a nationally and internationally renowned project.

Cork City is poised to be a key driver of Ireland’s economic growth to 2040. In the National Planning Framework, the Government set a range of targets for Cork to ensure that it can deliver this ambition. The population of Cork City is targeted to grow by 50% by 2040. This will strengthen Cork as a city of scale, whose citizens can enjoy the benefit of significant economic expansion.”

MONKSTOWN AND SALTHILL

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MONKSTOWN AND SALTHILL – DUN LAOGHAIRE COUNTY DUBLIN

Monkstown, historically known as Carrickbrennan, is a suburb in south Dublin, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is on the coast, between Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire.

The lands of the Carrickbrennan estate form the greater part of the civil parish of Monkstown.

Monkstown has two old established churches, Saint Mary’s Church of Ireland (1831) and Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church (1866), both on Carrickbrennan Road. Saint John’s Church, located at Gamble’s Hill, was originally constructed as a Church of Ireland Church in the 1860s but was renovated and re-consecrated by the Society of Saint Pius X after 1985. Buildings of other religious denominations include the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses at Monkstown Farm, and the Meeting Hall of the Society of Friends at the junction of Packenham Road and Carrickbrennan Road. There is also the Friends Burial Ground (Quaker) located at Temple Hill just off Monkstown Road.

Monkstown Castle, which was probably built in the 12th or 13th centuries, was erected by the monks of the abbey of the Virgin Mary, near Dublin.

Monkstown is also noted for its coastline, which is home to a number of historical buildings of the Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian periods.[citation needed] One of the most notable buildings of the Salthill and Monkstown area is a Martello Tower, located at Seapoint beach.

Salthill is the seaside part of Monkstown and is the location of the local commuter rail station. Salthill was the location of an upmarket hotel designed by J.S. Mulvany for the Dublin & Kingstown Railway Co., in 1836 but not actually constructed until 1843. The hotel was extended in the 1860s by John McCurdy. Unfortunately the hotel was destroyed by fire in 1970 and demolished in 1972.

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