Design Published for St James’s to Suir Road Linear Park

Dublin City Council Parks & Landscaping Services has published a draft masterplan for the linear park that runs from St James’s Hospital and Fatima to Suir Bridge. The area follows the alignment of the Luas Red Line and the section to the east of Rialto Bridge is currently subject to major development with the new National Children’s Hospital and ongoing regeneration of St James’s Hospital campus.

The NCH will open in 2023 and changes to the area in front of the hospital, connecting to Rialto Luas stop and the bridge were always envisaged. However Dublin City Council has now widened the project by devising a masterplan for the whole area between Basin Lane to the east and Suir Bridge to the west to develop a new linear park and high quality community amenity. Ait Urbanism & Landscape, who designed the successful Weaver Park on Cork Street, have been engaged to develop the masterplan. A series of public workshops were held in September 2018 to develop a vision for the area. The draft masterplan was presented to the public earlier in July and the expectation is to proceed to a formal Part 8 planning process later this year.

However the design team are keen to get wider views on the proposals for the area, ahead of the formal planning application process. Some of the ideas in the draft masterplan include:

• a variety of landscapes along the route including tree groves, meadows, hard landscaping and informal lawns and play areas
• a series of active sport and play zones
• opportunities for community gardens and allotments
• improved cycle paths and walking routes with better public lighting
• a skate zone
• a canoe launching platform at the canal at Suir Bridge
• new entrances to the hospitals and improved crossing of Rialto Bridge

You’ll find a links to the draft masterplan below. Comments on the plan are welcome via email to linearpark@ait-place.ie – however please note that these comments are not formal submissions on a planning application, that comes later in the year.

Click to View the Masterplan in PDF