The proposed new City Edge development of 40,000 homes at Dublin’s Naas Road could be five minutes from Heuston station and 10 minutes to the city centre by train if there was investment in new rail infrastructure, a conference has heard.
Mick Mulhern, head of planning with South Dublin County Council, said significant public transport investment was required to unlock the potential of the 700-hectare site which could provide enough homes for up to 85,000 people and 75,000 jobs.
A new train station, which could become a major rail interchange “akin to King’s Cross” in London in addition to a new Luas stop, was needed, Mr Mulhern told a conference in Dublin on the City Edge project.
Irish Rail already planned the expansion of services to the west of the city under its Dart+ programme, but Mr Mulhern said there was no stop serving the site. The project proposes a stop at Kylemore, south of Ballyfermot.
“Our aspiration would be for a new rail interchange at that station which would have 15 trains stopping there per hour in both directions bringing you to Heuston in five minutes and to Connolly and the city centre in about 10 to 12 minutes,” he said.
“With that brings fantastic opportunities not only for those who live in Ballyfermot and just to north of it, but as an interchange akin to King’s Cross which becomes a focal point for a new centre around that.”
There is currently a Luas stop at Kylemore at centre of the site, but Mr Mulhern said there was potential for an additional stop “with the express purpose of focusing more intensive uses around that”.
‘Posh people’
Roger Madelin, who heads the Canada Water redevelopment project in London for British Land and previously led the regeneration of King's Cross, said the first homes in the new development should be low-rise apartments for "posh people" and "rich people" rather than "the most needy and dependent" to give people confidence in the scheme before taller blocks are built.
“Posh people, rich people have to live somewhere and they tend, obviously, to have more choice because they have this wealth,” he said. “Do the first six-storey residential development for people who have got a choice.”
When the less well-off see those with money choosing to live in an area, they are more likely to accept change, he said.
“Don’t force the most needy and dependent residents into stuff they don’t feel comfortable with because it’s different and it’s unusual.” Instead, “create something wonderful so aspiring people who are likely to be high earners do move in first,” he said.
“I’m not saying you don’t do any supported housing but whenever people see people who have got a choice moving to a six-storey development that has great space and great public amenity, and is connected into public transport and cycleways, other people will go from saying ‘You’re not going to force me to live there’ to ‘Oh, that’s quite nice, actually’,” he said.
“Then you might get the support from changing from the very low density to the medium density.”
Victoria Hills, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said it was vital the project had a strong planning framework and design code established by the planning authorities "rather than outsourcing it to developers".
