Dargan Hub’s submission to Reimagining George’s Place, Dun Laoghaire

Below is the Dargan Hub’s submission to the public consultation on ‘Reimagining George’s Place’ Dún Laoghaire -

The two buildings in question are important from an historical perspective (we included them in our map of historical buildings of the town) and economic perspective, being some of the few remaining vacant buildings in a key location in a part of town that needs economic regeneration.

Our social enterprise completed an Enterprise Ireland supported feasibility report a number of years ago on the two buildings in George's Place. These detailed studies sought to activate the two buildings as an integrated facility, the final reports were - 

• Feasibility study Kellys Hotel & Bathhouse - Quinn Architectural consultancy

• Kellys Hotel & Bathhouse - QS Order of Magnitude Budget for Refurbishment, Alteration & Extension Works - L GOGGIN Consulting EngineerQ

We also prepared a detailed study of the opportunity for the town as a remote work hub, "Dun Laoghaire to be Dublin's Remote Working capital" based on outputs provided by the above feasibility studies. The report contains an outline of what we proposed for the 'Dun Laoghaire Enterprise Campus' project in those two buildings.

In terms of brief observations that are relevant to this consultation -

1. While the People's Park end of Dun Laoghaire has experienced a significant improvement in building refurbishment, retail mix and footfall, the 'Old DunLeary' end of the town where the two buildings are located, has not.

2. Having spoken to local businesses there is a general level of disappointment with the experience to date with how the long awaited regeneration of Carnegie Library (in the same town quarter as the two George's Place buildings) has turned out. The main entrance to the Carnegie Library is permanently closed and there has been no discernable increase in footfall from the expected student related activities that local businesses thought were part of the assignment of the building to IADT as a contribution to the regeneration of the 'Dunleary' quarter of our town. Equally the Council owned 'Park House' Community Centre adjoining the Carnegie Library contributes very little footfall to the quarter with little discernible activity in the building apart from some evening meetings.

Along with the planned refurbishment of the adjoining Old Dun Laoghaire fire station as a school, these two Council owned buildings represent a real opportunity to act as economic magnets for the 'Old Dunleary' quarter to bring much needed footfall to local businesses and prosperity to this quarter of our town through a repurposing that makes it a vibrant, actively used facility.