Local government in Dublin is broken. I was on the Citizens Assembly that recommended a powerful directly elected mayor for the capital. And after three years on the council, it’s so clear that our city needs one.
Author Archives: Michael Pidgeon
New social housing for elderly in Inchicore: my planning observation
Charity ALONE are planning to build 43 new one-bed homes for the elderly in Inchicore. I’m very supportive of the new housing and have sent in the below planning observation.
100% Irish veg box: how it compares
Earlier this year I asked people for recommendations for a good veg box in Dublin 8. It can be a little hard to get clear info on what’s available, or what the value is like, so I wanted to share my experiences with them so far. Especially given the cost of living at the moment, …
Big pedestrian improvements for the Grand Canal
After many years of highlighting the problems along the Grand Canal for pedestrians – particularly at badly-designed junctions – we’re finally getting to see some BIG improvements.
Guinness Quarter plans: my submission
Diageo and Ballymore are applying for planning permission for a new development in the Liberties, with over 330 homes and a large amount of commercial space. I think it’s a mostly very positive development, and have sent in the submission below. You can check out the (extensive!) planning documents here.
⛴️🚄How to travel from Dublin to London by ferry and rail
I’ve taken a lot of “sail rail” journeys, going to the UK and the continent via ferry and rail. It’s lower carbon, but it’s also very nice if you love trains and hate airports. It’s also very cheap – basically going anywhere in the UK with a rail line from Dublin for a max of …
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Reddit AMA: 110 of Dubliners’ questions answered
I recently did an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) over on Reddit, a popular discussion website. There’s a Dublin-specific part of the site, and I invited users to ask any questions they might have.
Why precious market space shouldn’t be made into a Centra
Below is a planning observation against an application to convert space intended for a market to a Centra. The space is on Newmarket and Mill Street in the Liberties – previously where the Green Door Market was. The site was redeveloped several years ago on condition that they had a market space – they are …
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👍 Home energy kits – in your local library
A handy thing you might not know: all Dublin City Council libraries have a home energy saving test kit, which you can take out for free (as you would a book).
Phoenix Park changes: good, bad and mixed
The government has just published their report into the consultation for mobility changes in the Phoenix Park. I reckon it’s progress, but a mixed bag: there are some big wins, some bits which are hard to judge at this stage, and at least two decisions where they have clearly bottled it.