About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
About the City Edge Project
Project Overview - September 2021
What is the City Edge Project?
The City Edge Project represents the most significant housing and economic opportunity ever undertaken in the Dublin Region and has the potential to be one of the largest and most transformational regeneration projects in Europe. Covering an area of approx. 700 hectares and strategically positioned in the Naas Road, Ballymount and Park West areas at the western edge of Dublin City, the area is identified under the National Planning Framework (NPF) and Regional Spatial and Economics Strategy (RSES) as a part of Dublin that is currently underutilised and has the potential to achieve compact growth through a major increase in population and employment.
Today, the area is already already well served by public transport and is home to a thriving employment base and well-established residential communities. Funded under the Government’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), the project is a joint initiative between South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and Dublin City Council (DCC) to create a new liveable, sustainable and attractive urban extension of the city, where more people will be able to live, work, and socialise.
To help achieve this, and as part of the first Phase of the City Edge Project, an international urban design and urban planning team has undertaken a detailed study of the area and identified an aspirational vision and strategy for the delivery of new homes at scale together with the promotion of the next generation of employment over the coming decades within a green and climate resilient mixed-use urban quarter. This work which has culminated in the formulation of the City Edge Strategic Framework (May 2022), which will inform statutory plan making processes at the next stage of the City Edge Project.
Following the detailed analysis of the area and public consultation on a Preferred Scenario between September and October of 2021, the City Edge Strategic Framework was noted by the Elected Members of South Dublin County Council and Dublin City Council in May and June 2022 respectively, and is now available to view.
The purpose of the Strategic Framework is to set out a high-level approach and transformational trajectory for the regeneration of a new liveable, sustainable and climate resilient urban quarter. In summary, this non-statutory document:
- Sets out high-level strategies for the regeneration of City Edge, including an overarching vision and strategic objectives;
- Proposes the delivery of strategic infrastructure including streets, parks, public transport and utilities;
- Outlines a series of priority actions in the areas of legislation, policy, funding and infrastructure to facilitate the future development of City Edge;
- Seeks the support of government departments and state agencies including alignment of relevant policies and programmes and allocation of funding in order to deliver the City Edge vision; and
- Provides a context for the preparation of a statutory plan to provide more detailed guidance for the future development of the area
The Strategic Framework does not represent a plan or framework for development consent and will be followed by a more comprehensive Statutory Plan, which will guide development at a finer level of detail.
City Edge Project Vision
Strategic Objectives
Liveable City
Follow compact growth and 15-minute city principle
Economy
Create a resilient and diverse employment offer with scope for up to 65,000 – 75,000 jobs
Housing
Accommodate a range and variety of new homes for up to 75,000 – 85,000 people
Natural Infrastructure
Target 50% green cover
Movement
Focus development on the provision of active and public transport
Character
Knit into existing neighbourhoods and create a series of character areas that enhance Dublin
Community
Integrated urban services and resources
Sustainability
Fast-track to zero carbon and zero waste
Delivery
Create a deliverable and credible framework
City Edge Area Map
The Design Team - Phase 1
Under Phase 1 of the City Edge Project, an international urban design and urban planning led team was selected, by way of competition, to carry out a detailed study of the project area and to produce a vision , Preferred Development Scenario and Strategic Framework that would inform how this part of Dublin City can develop over the coming 30+ years. This work considered how the regeneration of the City Edge Study Area can support delivery of much-needed new homes to cater for the various needs of our growing population, can help Dublin become a climate resilient City, can accommodate the next generation of employment and can provide liveable spaces that connect seamlessly with the surrounding neighbourhoods. The design team, which includes a wide-ranging suite of experts in the fields of Transport Planning, Economics, Climate Change, Water Management, Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering, is led by Maccreanor Lavington, who are award winning architects and urban designers based in London and Rotterdam.
People + Place
Work to Date – Key Findings
During detailed investigations of the City Edge Area some key findings, that will help guide the future development of the area and were captured in a Baseline Study, have emerged.
Existing Employment
The City Edge Project Area has a diverse mix of mainly industrial, commercial and employment uses that sustains approximately 25,500 jobs across some 1,500 different businesses. This accounts for 4% of Dublin’s employment and contributes approximately €1.98bn per year to the economy. These existing businesses and jobs are a cornerstone of the Dublin economy and are key to the continued success of our City.
Future Employment
However, there are opportunities to intensify land uses in this part of Dublin and to provide new employment space to potentially cater for up to 75,000 jobs. The very nature of how we work is changing and so too are the range of different business sectors. There are growing opportunities in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health, Logistics and Storage, Financial Technology (FinTech), Aviation and Travel Tech and Construction will be key employment growth sectors that could play a formative role in the future of the City Edge area and in making Dublin a more resilient economy. There is a mix of uses across the City Edge area with some of the major employers in the area including: Diageo, DHL, Iarnrod Eireann, An Post, and FBD Insurance.
Transport and Movement
City Edge is in close proximity to the City Centre and with the right level and type of public transport could provide a huge opportunity for creating a Liveable City based on the principles of walking, cycling and public transport. Today the City Edge area is well served by public transport – the Luas, the Kildare Railway Line and frequent bus services as well as regional and national roads. But there is scope to significantly improve active and public transport infrastructure including new rail and Luas station, new bus routes and cycle lanes to support the existing and future population.
Homes
There is an existing residential population of just over 5,000 people comprising approximately 1,600 households, peppered throughout City Edge. These communities are well established, many in place since before the current industrial businesses emerged. However, given the proximity of these lands to the City, there is huge scope to provide much needed new homes that are accessible for people of all ages, abilities and income levels and that offer people choice, about where and how they want to live and homes that ultimately meet the increasing needs of our city’s growing population.
Place
A successful and integrated new community is also dependent on the creation of a place where people want to live and work and socialise. Whilst homes, jobs and transport are central to this, we also need the complementary measures of new schools, parks, shops as well as health, leisure, cultural, sports and community facilities.
At 700 hectares in size, City Edge is home to a plethora of hidden gems that can be unearthed to become focal points for the future of the place. The Grand Canal, the Camac River and Drimnagh Castle are important identity and amenity features that can be also promoted and integrated as part of this regeneration. The opportunity and challenge is to create a place where people want to live and work and that will knit together our existing and new communities. The approach is to develop a framework to guide the future development of City Edge based on the principles of the Liveable City that embed climate resilient measures from the outset of the regeneration programme.
Challenges
In realising the scale of opportunities this part of Dublin presents there are also significant challenges that need to be overcome such as divided and multiple land ownership; separate existing planning permissions for approximately 4,000 dwellings in and around City Edge; the risk of flooding; overhead power lines; traffic congestion; barriers created by roads; sites that are contaminated and accommodate that contain dangerous substances together with the need for significant investment in transport, parks, amenities and climate change resilience.
