The HARP Integrated Area Plan: Strengths & Strategies

Strengths of the HARP area:

An analysis of the area concluded that its following strengths should be harnassed:

  • The HARP area's strategic location close to the heart of the city centre
  • The open relationship of the area to the river Liffey
  • The strong retail, market and legal functions of different parts of the area
  • Cultural and tourist attracttions such as Collins barracks or St. Michan's church
  • Spaces and places with potential such as Smithfield and the area's many small parks and squares
  • The diversity of historical and architectural riches between the localities
  • A number of well-maintained and clearly defined residential quarters
  • The opportunities presented by many vacant and derelict sites
  • The future provision of Light rail (LUAS) through the area

Strategies for Renewal:

The overall strategy of the Framework Plan is based on creating four local cells within the HARP area, each with a strong sense of place, range of functions and local character. This strategy represents a flexible, area-based approach that can respond with tailor made policies to the needs of each local cell. The four cells are the Retail Cell, the Market Cell, the Smithfield Cell and the Collins Barracks Cell.

This central strategy is bolstered by a number of sub-strategies based on responding to the main problematic issues of the area:

The Land Use/Uneven Investment Strategy: To promote and expand the major functional sectors; to promote mixed use within each cell, especially along the LUAS route; to redevelop North King Street and Smithfield based on specific urban design principles.

The Environment/Urban Design Strategy: To improve the quality of the public domain, especially around Smithfield; to develop an east-west pedestrian link; to improve existing parks and spaces; to make postive use of landmarks and civic buildings.

The Movement/Transport Strategy: To implement the North King Street road system, including the new Liffey bridge; To create environmental traffic cells; to provide safe routes for pedestrians; to provide a traffic management system for the Markets area; to maximise the potential of the LUAS light rail system.

The Socio-economic Strategy: To encourage community involvement in, and benefit from, the renewal effort; to work with local groups on an area-based approach to tackling unemployment; to provide opportunities for education and training.

The Conservation Strategy: To implement a range of conservation approaches within each cell; to carry out surveys of historical buildings; to integrate conservation with urban design and to maximise the use of existing building stock.

The Tourism Strategy: To promote new attractions such as the new museum at Collins Barracks and the proposed Whiskey Museum at Smithfield; to encourage new tourist facilities in the area; to improve the physical appearance of the area.