The ten-year campaign for the full reinstatement of Wolfe Tone Park is focused around the restoration of a green space in the city centre that will offer respite to visitors and an important amenity to families living in the locality.
In April 2015 the Wolfe Tone Park Community celebrated the Dublin City Council motion (6056) to fully reinstate the park to it's pre-2001 layout.
However, the park has since been commercialised and the plans for it's restoration appear to have been hijacked. We want our park returned to the people of Dublin, as a park; and not another busy commercial thoroughfare.
Dublin City Council has proposed a design and you are invited to submit your observations (opinion) for the new park layout. This portal has been developed to facilitate your submission. Alternatively, you may submit your observation through the Dublin City Council offices by 4:30pm on Monday, January 23rd. (more information and DCC official documents)
Dublin City Council (DCC) intends to further develop upon the failed 2001 renovation that removed the garden elements and railings from Wolfe Tone Park. DCC proposes to retain all of the concrete paving and introduce more concrete (paving and retention) to the west side of the park.
DCC propose that ALL car parking will be removed from around the park for residents and visitors [04, 09], particularly to those buildings that are without any off-street parking facility. Despite there being no 24-hour parking facility in the area, DCC have not provided any parking alternative for residents or visitors. In reality, this will mean that will have to be home with your car/rental by 7:30pm on week-nights if you want to privately park it nearby. Your car will be available to you again at 7:00am in the private car park. Also, unless your visitors are willing to leave before 7:30pm, they will have to stay overnight or get a taxi home and collect their car the following morning.
While car parking has always been restrictive for residents around the park. Commercial vehicles parking ON the park has always been a bigger problem; and, to our knowledge, not a single fine has been issued despite the infringements been reported. However, visitors and residents are frequently faced with parking fees, fines, and the dreaded clamps.
The western headstones will be uprooted and moved to the south end of the park [08], behind the shop (trading as the tram café). DCC hope to plant some of these headstones in an upright array, depending on their condition. Dublin City Council have not acknowledged their own role in damaging the park assets with their vehicles & events - instead, DCC blames the weather and pedestrians for the broken headstones. We have no confidence in the ability of DCC to maintain or handle the headstones.
A new monument [12] is proposed for the north-east corner of the park (near the Church Bar, opposite McDonald’s). It is still undecided what this monument will be.
The bronze cow will be removed to facilitate a small lawn element. Oddly enough, the headstones and bronze cow are the main attraction to the park; neither of which DCC want to feature.
This design features a smaller lawn[11] than the failed 2001 implementation; that lawn was later removed after it was vandalised by a month-long DCC/TV3 event in 2006. This community still awaits the return of the grass to the park, as promised by DCC 10 years ago.
DCC propose to remove the concrete plinth seating [01] in the centre of the park, to create a larger vacant concrete space. While the removal of the concrete plinths is welcome, it was hoped that the park lawns would be restored. A major concern here exists around the hosting of amplified music events that have damaged and plagued the park for the past sixteen years.
DCC misrepresents the impact of the Tram Café on the park [05]. The tram is represented by a narrow tram and only four tables; ignoring the recent southward extension of the business and the fact that seating from the tram extends right into the middle of the park when the weather permits [06]. In fact, the tram has grown in size by approximately six times (x6) its original footprint in less than a year.
It is unclear why a public asset like our park should be surrendered to facilitate this business after a motion was won to fully restore the park. Worryingly, we were assured that the tram is a temporary structure to last a maximum of three years. With this in mind, there is no reason that the tram should appear anywhere on the plans for the new park.
Against local advice, DCC do not propose to return railings to the park [03]. This, we believe, has been another major flaw in 2001 design.
The proposed large open concrete space [02] in the middle of the park has always been a problem and is now to be extended. This will facilitate more unwelcome and antisocial events similar to those that that have already helped to destroy the park.
More details about the proposal can be found on Dublin City Council's own Portal, here.
The following values were recorded within the apartments adjacent to the DFF Spiegeltent in Wolfe Tone Park.
Sample Date: Sat 9/19/2015
In recent months, the Wolfe Tone Park community has upped its campaign to have the cold, concrete space returned to its previous state: a pleasant, welcoming green oasis for the city. And so far, the group – which is made up of residents of the Wolfe Tone Street/Jervis Street area – has had some success. more »
After years of Dublin City Council (DCC) vandalism and neglect, its senior management has conceded that the current layout of Wolfe Tone Park has not worked, and redevelopment is being considered.
But are DCC capable of appropriately redeveloping the park; and, can they be trusted to?
more »
Everyone agrees that Wolfe Tone Park needs a bit of TLC. Home to the council’s portable staff toilets, its hard, dull appearance does little to entice people in. Now, because of worries about its future, the local residents have formed the Wolfe Tone Park Community group. more »
THE former park at Wolfe Tone Square should be restored as a green space featuring its ancient grave stones, a city councillor has argued. more »
Hundreds of businesses have signed a petition protesting the “double taxation” imposed by mandatory payments to the Dublin Business Improvement District (Bid) and seeking a means to leave the organisation. The BID, established in 2007 is branded “We Are Dublin Town”. more »
Green spaces are often converted to ‘hard’ spaces as local authorities find them easier to maintain. Eyre Square and Wolfe Tone park are unfortunate manifestations of the tendancy. more »