The Hueston Gateway: Introduction

In April 2001 Dublin Corporation commissioned the Urban Projects led team of Fergal MacCabe, Faber Maunsell and DTZ Sherry Fitzgerald to undertake an urban study of the Heuston Station Environs, culminating in the production of a Regeneration Strategy Framework Plan for the area. The overall objective given by Dublin Corporation was "to produce a regeneration strategy which will incorporate an urban design land use framework plan for the Heuston Station Environs."

In the brief from Dublin Corporation this objective is broken down into 3 key areas:

1. to provide a regeneration framework for key development sites which address issues of spatial layout, urban grain, massing, height and land use and the need to interface such sites successfully with the Park, the river and cultural institutions.

2. to exploit the potential for reconfiguring the public domain to connect the Park, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Kilmainham Gaol and the National Museum more effectively into the public realm of the city

3. to develop the role and potential of the river including the provision of appropriate urban design guidelines for new development in the river context.

Regional Context

The study area as defined by Dublin City Council covers approximately 88 hectares. The area includes the northern section of the Guinness lands, the OPW and Eircom lands by the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Heuston Station lands, Clancy Barracks, the main gate and surrounding area of Phoenix Park, Montpelier Hill and the National Museum. An associated study area is marked for the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and grounds.

Heuston Station and its environs are a key focal point for the Dublin Region and Ireland as a whole. This is due to a number of factors:

1. the area is a gateway site to the capital city as defined in the Dublin Development Plan 1999 and 'Managing Intensification and Change: A Strategy for Dublin Building Height 2000'.

2. the area forms a critical junction in the National Route N4

3. Heuston Station is the main railway station for all destinations in the west or south of the country and is particularly important as a commuter hub from County Kildare and the Midlands

4. as a main freight station of the city - notably the direct distribution of Guinness from its site of production in the study area.

5. the area is home to a large number of national or regional institutions, providing some key tourist sites and trip generators

City Context

The river has great importance in terms of symbolising the city and as an orienting device in the dense urban grain. The river forms the main ordering device of the city centre. The Heuston Station has a key and dominating role relative to the River Liffey. The station building faces the river head-on, positioned strategically on a man-made bend in the river. The station marks a change in the nature of how the river responds to the city context - from natural / picturesque at Chapelizod and Islandbridge, to controlled / urban through the city centre.

The other punctuation in the river's corridor through the historic city is the docks, which open up to the seemingly infinite expanse of the sea. Heuston Station and its environs can be seen to counterbalance this by defining the other end of the Liffey Quays and opening up to the more finite expanse of the countryside. Heuston Station is a major hub for the city's transport infrastructure and is consequently identified as a sustainable location for high density development.

Local Context

The area is dominated by large landholdings with the effect of restricting public domain and permeability. The area is characterised by blank enclosing walls and confined traffic and pedestrian corridors.

The public domain is compromised. Congested roads with high numbers of HGV's and buses have resulted in an environment dominated by motorised traffic that is hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. This is particularly prevalent on the Quays and at rush hours. The current traffic congestion will only be exacerbated by the introduction of the Light Rail Transit (Luas) in 2003, as the traffic is crossed at several points across the site by the Luas route. The site is occupied by numerous protected structures and National Monuments, many of which are national cultural institutions. Large portions of the site are conservation areas.