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The Heuston Gateway Plan 2003

Introduction

In April 2001 Dublin Corporation (now Dublin City Council) 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 City Council 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 City Council this objective is broken down into 3 key areas:

0. 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.
0. 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
0. 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 Heuston Gateway area 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.
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:

0. 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'.
0. the area forms a critical junction in the National Route N4
0. 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
0. as a main freight station of the city - notably the direct distribution of Guinness from its site of production in the study area.
0. 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. 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 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.

Regeneration Strategy

As the gateway to the capital city the Heuston Station Environs balances the docklands to the east of the historic city centre area and is marked by the transition from parkland to a high density urban environment. The Regeneration Strategy proposes that the contrasting conditions within the Heuston Station Environs should be appropriately preserved and strengthened.

The quality of services and environment in and around the station is crucial to presenting a positive impression of Dublin as it is the first experience of the city for a large number of visitors. The facilities in and around the station should be upgraded to cope with present and future demands.

The area houses numerous national institutions, sites of historic significance and key  elements of the national transport infrastructure. The production site of perhaps the  country's most famous export is also located in the area - Guinness. 

The Heuston Station Environs must be accepted by the wider public as a desirable and important destination that effectively extends the city centre core to the west. The Heuston Station Environs must therefore provide a high quality and safe public domain with excellent connections to efficient transport nodes. The vision for the Heuston Station Environs is to create a coherent and vibrant quarter of the city that captures the public imagination with high quality services, development, design and public spaces that consolidate and improve the existing strengths of the area.

Development Framework Plan

The development framework plan proposes a series of public/amenity spaces, connections and appropriate development throughout the area in order to realize the Regeneration Strategy. Outline plans for each stakeholder's site have been drawn up, integrating into the overall plan. Each of the largest sites is the subject of a separate more detailed development framework plan.

Public and Amenity Spaces
It is proposed that the area is structured around 2 principal external spaces at either end of the station; Heuston Square and the West Terrace.

Heuston Square: The space to the front of the headquarters building of the Great Western Railway is considered to be in the centre of the Heuston Station Environs. All destinations in the area radiate from this space and it is the main connecting space with the city centre. The space should be an active and central urban square for the Heuston Station Environs.

West Terrace: The Development Framework Plan proposes a new public space to the west of the station, elevated over tracks. This space will be part of a sequence of spaces running from IMMA through St. John's Road West to Conyngham Road and the Phoenix Park, linked by a legible and high quality pedestrian and cycle route.

Connections: Pedestrian and Cycle
High quality pedestrian and cycle environments must link all public spaces, amenity and developments. This will significantly increase permeability through the large sites and create a multitude of routes through the sites connecting all points in the study area and city. The principal proposed pedestrian and cycle routes across the Heuston Station Environs will be: Phoenix Park to Kilmainham; Dr. Steevens' Hospital to IMMA; Victoria Quay to the Memorial Gardens; The Museum Park to Sarah Bridge; Heuston Square (Luas) to the Phoenix Park and Arbour Hill to Museum Park

Connections: Vehicular
The basic traffic strategy is to reduce, control and disperse the main through-traffic both eastbound and westbound to allow efficient access to the station and all developments. In order to reduce traffic impact and increase pedestrian safety, the following developments are proposed:

As part of the new development on the Guinness lands at Victoria Quay, the traffic heading for St. Johns Road should be brought back a block in line with St. John's Road before the Heuston Square. This will mean westbound traffic will not cross the Heuston Square.

The two lane sections (after a split on the Victoria Quay) should provide increased areas for pedestrians and cyclists, improving safety and public amenity.

Connections: Views
Orientation and legibility of the city are dependent on visual connections.  The Development Framework Plan can facilitate this is by  strengthening visual connections of the Heuston Station Environs to and from the city centre.

For the  Plan the views are divided into significant views and visual connections. A significant view should not be adversely affected by development within the area shown. A visual connection is defined as a view linking distant areas of the city, aiding orientation and legibility. Such a view is not regarded as untouchable but any development should enhance and not entirely block the view. The impact of any development should be ascertained by a visual impact assessment as necessary. Significant Views include the Royal Hospital Kilmainham to Phoenix Park. Important visual connections include Chesterfield Avenue to Guinness Lands. and the City Quays to the Phoenix Park.

Building Development
The Development Framework Plan sets out guidelines for building development generally across the study area and specifically for each site. The development across the area must be sufficiently dense to allow a rich mix of uses. Human scale and the immediate environment or microclimate must be maintained at the optimum quality. Overshadowing should be minimised.

The Heuston Station lands and Guinness lands are as potential locations within the city for the development of tall buildings and high density. The Development Framework Plan for the Heuston Station Environs specifies the location of 3 tall buildings in the area.

By restricting the number of tall buildings to 3 the permeability of views across the area and the overall character of the area can be maintained. New development must enhance the area and not dominate the existing institutions. The footprints of the tall buildings should have a long dimension in an east-west orientation to avoid blocking out light and views from the west. Each tall building is located on a major public space located around the station:

• Guinness Building : corner site on Guinness lands relating to the Heuston Square.
• OPW Building: corner site on OPW lands adjacent to Dr Steevens Hospital and Park, and opposite the south facade of the station building.
• CIE Building: site to the north of the station building on the river relating to the West Terrace and River Terrace.

Numerous sites throughout the Heuston Station Environs are suitable for development of new or extended hi-profile landmark public buildings and/or institutions:

• West end of Heuston Station
• West Terrace tall building
• Heuston Station Lands site
• Guinness site on Heuston Square
• Hickeys site
• National Museum site
• OPW site on Dr Steevens Park
• Clancy Barracks/CIE lands
• Phoenix Park site on Parkgate Street / Infirmary Road

Uses
The Heuston Station Environs Regeneration Strategy aims to create a high quality, mixed use, high density development centred on the station and associated public spaces. The Plan must attract significant mixed-use development throughout the study area, shifting the defined city core westwards. The area is presently characterised by large impermeable sites of single ownership and use. These must be broken down and integrated into the urban fabric. The distribution of uses across the Heuston Station Environs must be carefully controlled, taking into account present and future infrastructural facilities and phasing across the sites.