New Market Square Development

The proposed development of Newmarket Square

Proposed Newmarket Square Development

A planning application for the development of Newmarket Square has been lodged with Dublin City Council. The plans include a reduction in market space  in the square to just 264.97sqm which would mean that the current Dublin Food Cooperative, Greendoor market and monthly Dublin Flea market would be forced to cease operating in the square. The plans also include a 239 bedroom hotel, a micro brewery on the site of the Coop, retail,  office space and residential accommodation.

Following a meeting with residents and businesses operating in the area the below observation was made on proposed mixed use development on planning reference 3321/17 and 3322/17 asking that more market space be allocated and that the developers make a provision for artistic/cultural/community use on the site.

Main Location:
No. 8, Newmarket and No. 18 Mill Street , Dublin 8 (bounded by Mill Street to the south, Mill Lane to the east and Newmarket to the north) current site of the Greendoor market And 10 – 12 Newmarket and Mill st current site of the Dublin Food Co-operative

The unique character, history and social and cultural significance of the area:

This is a residential area in a historic part of the city. The documents accompanying the application detail at some length the historical significance of the area but the design, height and exterior finish of the proposed development is inconsistent with the character of the area. It does not integrate physically or culturally with the surrounding area. There is no attempt to use of materials which are sensitive to and preserve the uniqueness of this historic square.

Two fundamental objectives of the Liberties Local Area Plan (LLAP) are important in this context

“To recognise the key role the Liberties plays in Dublin’s character and to ensure that regeneration safeguards a strong sense of community identity .”

“To identify and protect the distinctive heritage of the area and encourage sustainable and innovative re-use of historic spaces and structures.”

Newmarket: A Market Destination

Newmarket has been a market area of the City since the 18th century. Most recently the character of Newmarket as a market destination has been revived with the operations of the Dublin Food Cooperative, the monthly Flea Market and the Greendoor market. This offering provides a draw for people from all over Dublin but specifically serves the people of Dublin 8 and The Tenters. These markets provide a space where the community meets to buy produce and goods, which sustains local incomes. We acknowledge the role of the developer of the current proposals played providing these organsiations with a space to operate out of during the recession when so many of his counterparts allowed the spaces they owned to fall into dereliction.

However, the plans submitted would fundamentally change the character of the square and directly contradict the aspirations for Newmarket contained in the LLAP which has an objective to “deliver a high quality, multi functional market square and city wide well known destination”

The local area plan identifies a number of key development areas including Newmarket. The LLAP contains a commitment in Newmarket to ” Deliver a high quality multi-functional market square and city wide destination at Newmarket edged with active frontage” and “Encourage day and night time activities such as cafés, bars, restaurants and deliver high quality large or plate retail space including an indoor market”

The market area proposed in this development isn’t of adequate size to realize the requirement of the LLAP and would turn Newmarket into a daytime only space with office being the dominant use in the proposed development. In the plans proposed there would be a reduction in market space of approx 1800 sqm (Greendoor 835 and Food Coop 1000) down to 264.97 sqm.

The proposal for 11,993.02 of office space with just 264.97 of market retail space (approx. 45 times the multiple) is directly contradictory to the LLAP which identifies Newmarket as an area where a ‘high quality multi functional market’ should operate and no replacement market is proposed in the plans submitted.

The cluster offering of the Coop, Greendoor and Flea is unique in the City, with the Iveagh Marketing left fall into long-term dereliction and the old markets area of the city in Dublin 1 stalled. Newmarket square is the only part of the City which has a vibrant, all week, locally focused market operating and attracts people from all over the city at the weekends. The City Council, if they are to realise the commitment in the development plan “CE 118 To recognise that craft enterprises, designer’s studios/workshops etc., along with visitor centres, provide economic development and regeneration potential for the city including the promotion of tourism. To promote Dublin City Centre as a destination for such craft enterprises “ should require that an adequately sized indoor market of at least 2000msq should be provided by the applicants in Newmarket Square.

The proposed mix in this development also contravenes the Dublin City Development Plan (2016-2022) design standards for large scale proposals as the proposed buildings are largely office space with little mixture of use

“Dublin City Council will seek to ensure the following considerations are incorporated in proposals for large-scale development:

* To provide an appropriate mix of use comprising retail, residential, entertainment, recreational, cultural, community and/or employment generating use; particular emphasis should be given to new and complementary uses and facilities that expand and improve the existing range of uses and facilities in the area”

As with our observation to another part of this proposal 3323/17 the number of offices and retail spaces are not justified by any economic model and the experience locally, particularly along Cork Street, is that there is less demand for offices and traditional retail units than in other parts of the city.

Cultural, Community and Artistic Offering

For centuries this area of the Liberties has been associated with weaving, tanning and textiles. The plan lacks key elements such as craft workshops, studio space, gallery space or event space which would in keeping with the history and traditions of the area. The Dublin City Development Plan (2016-2022) recognises that craft enterprises/designer studios/workshops provide economic development and regeneration potential for the city including the promotion of tourism (CE118).

Dublin 8 is home to a vibrant artistic and cultural community with many residents working in the arts. In the Dublin City Development Plan (2016-2022) there was recognition of the need to ensure that artistic and cultural uses were incorporated into developments to ensure that the City isn’t cleansed of artistic and cultural spaces. The Dublin City Development Plan (2016-2022) commits the City to ensuring that cultural and artistic space is a key element of all multi use developments (CHC28) and has as an objective that all large scale, mixed use developments include cultural, artistic and community uses (CHC31).

The current proposals have no incorporation for any cultural/artistic or community gain beyond one artist studio provided for in accompanying application 3323/17.

We ask that if permission is granted for applications 3321/17 and 3322/17, it should include the following conditions:-

1. Introduce conditions to ensure that the markets can continue by providing an indoor market space of at least 2000sqm for markets. There should also be a condition for additional retail space.
2. Use of materials/stone/brick/render more in keeping with the character of the area to ensure it is consistent with the existing Teelings Distillery Building and the wider character of Newmarket/Tenters/Blackpitts.
3. Make provision for arts studio space, including work and exhibition space
4. Provide for community gain given the disruption at the construction phase.
5. Provide a suite of measures to mitigate the disruption to local residents and the markets during the construction phase.

Yours Sincerely

Cllr Rebecca Moynihan
Cllr Criona NiDhalaigh
Cllr Michael Mullooly