Securing Dublin’s Future: Our Plan for Dublin

Securing Dublin’s Future: Our Plan for Dublin

As our capital city, Dublin belongs to us all. Dublin is the engine of Ireland – when Dublin thrives so too does our country.

Last year, for the first time ever, Dublin’s population grew to more than 1.5 million people.

In Fine Gael, we are passionate about Dublin, about its history, heritage and culture, as a place of learning, of creativity, and of enterprise, and as a place of recreation and leisure.

We are ambitious for our capital city and have a plan to secure the future of Dublin and its vibrant, thriving communities. As an important start, Fine Gael will implement the Dublin City Centre Taskforce recommendations which will be overseen through the Department of the Taoiseach

Housing and Planning

The growth in Dublin’s population is a major positive but it does bring challenges. Fine Gael’s goal is to create and sustain communities that are well-connected, with amenities like schools, hospitals and clinics, public transport, parks, playgrounds, libraries and museums. Our aim is to develop communities where people can thrive, feel secure, and connect with their neighbours.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Drive compact development, where better design and planning ensures high quality, affordable homes.
Promote the development of brown field sites, optimising space and tackling vacancy and dereliction.
Fund ‘over-the-shop’ demonstrators to show how the spaces in our city and town centre buildings can become comfortable homes.
Promote the Croí Cónaithe Cities scheme to make apartment building viable once more.
Encourage local authorities to develop local area plans in consultation with communities.
Support Dublin’s local authorities, approved housing bodies and developers to provide a mix of housing in Dublin, including right-sizing for older citizens.
Re-launch the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and provide for a new capital injection to regenerate Dublin as well Ireland’s other cities and other large towns.

Transport and Connectivity

Navigating the city and county and connecting communities should be as seamless as possible. While a growing population poses challenges, Fine Gael is committed to an appropriate mix of transport options, ensuring citizens can commute comfortably and access all areas of the capital.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Maintain and improve the road network in Dublin to a high standard.
Improve and expand active travel with a practical network of cycleways, greenways and footpaths.
Increase investment in Dublin’s Public Transport –
  • Complete bus connects balancing the needs of commuters with local communities.
  • Build Metrolink and explore expanding DART to Dublin Airport.
  • Extend the LUAS, firstly to Finglas and then other routes.
  • Build DART+ and electrify more of the rail network.
  • Provide park and ride facilities to promote more sustainable journeys in the core city centre.
  • Construct mobility hubs, providing easier access to different modes of transport, including bike rental, car sharing, and public transport.

Water and Waste Water

Providing clean water and sufficient waste-water infrastructure is key to all development. While Fine Gael, in establishing and resourcing Uisce Éireann, has spurred on development in our water supply and water and waste-water network, it is clear that Dublin is reaching capacity. The recently-completed €59 million reservoir in Saggart, Co. Dublin, is a key piece of infrastructure and part of a €118 million group of projects to enhance security and resilience of the water supply across the Greater Dublin Area.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Resource the new Department of Infrastructure to take on the task of meeting the water and waste- water needs of Dublin.
Build on the recently completed Uisce Éireann projects, such as the Ringsend Upgrade which can now treat the wastewater for a population equivalent of 2.1 million people.
Provide the future investment needed to future-proof this vital infrastructure for the capital.

Education and Learning

Dublin is a centre of learning and innovation in Ireland. Fine Gael, having led the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Science, has ramped up investment in further and higher education. We’ve increased core funding to Dublin’s universities and provided the funding for the transformation of DIT into the Technology University of Dublin with its state-of-the-art campus at Grangegorman.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Provide a capital equipment programme for colleges and universities.
Ensure Dublin’s colleges and universities are fully accessible for persons with disabilities.
Ensure safe and inclusive campuses for Dublin’s further and higher education institutions.
Promote the use of college and university facilities for upskilling, reskilling, and life-long learning.

Healthcare

Thankfully, people are living longer and healthier lives. Fine Gael is committed to improving and investing in our health services to meet the demand, as Ireland’s population grows and ages. We will ensure that this challenge is met through the use of GPs, pharmacies, health centres as well as Dublin’s top quality acute hospitals.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Drive down waiting lists through the construction of two new elective hospitals.
Continue to improve access to primary care with new primary care centres.
Train more GPs and support the establishment of new clinics so that people can access GP care more quickly.
Expand the Structured Chronic Disease Management Programme to include more illnesses so that people can be treated in their communities.
Expand the role of pharmacists as the first line in our day-to-day healthcare.
Open the National Children’s Hospital at St. James’s Hospital, build the new National Maternity Hospital and improve services, such as emergency departments and scan centres, at Dublin’s other hospitals.

Business and Enterprise

With Ireland at full-employment, everyone who wants a job has one. In recent years, however, changes in work practices and locations, has proved challenging for Dublin’s local businesses.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Provide a co-ordinated approach to combat retail crime and support An Garda Síochána’s Operation Táirge.
Implement smart city initiatives and ensure cybersecurity for critical infrastructure.
Foster entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship in Dublin, including through the use of Local Enterprise Offices.
Explore how Connected Hubs could work better in urban centres, like Dublin.
Ensure that Enterprise Ireland and the IDA are resourced to secure investment for Dublin – a gateway to the European Union for many businesses

Tourism and Recreation

Dublin has become an all-year-round tourist destination, with multiple benefits, from the economic boost to the cultural exchange and the forging of new links between Dublin and other destinations. The growth in tourism has at times, however, strained public infrastructure and services.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Achieve the right balance between tourism accommodation and long-term housing in Dublin.
Support the development of multi-purpose accommodation, such as student accommodation which can also be used as tourist and visitor accommodation.
Encourage local authorities to keep commercial rates at a sustainable level and explore the use of local authority funding mechanisms to avoid a disproportionate burden on businesses.
Support key businesses, such as cafés, restaurants and other food-service businesses with the reduced VAT rate.
Make it easier to live, work in and visit Dublin through a sensible and responsible transport plan.
Work with Fáilte Ireland to ensure Dublin is a key destination for conventions and conferences

Law and Order

For communities to thrive, safety is paramount. Fine Gael will provide the support to An Garda to make Dublin and its communities stronger and safer.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Support recruitment in An Garda Síochána with funding for 6,000 new Garda recruits over the next five years.
Provide the funding necessary for Garda mobility – with new Garda vehicles, and more resources for the Garda mountain bike and mounted units.
Rollout and resource the Local Community Safety Partnerships for Dublin – a new, innovative approach to tackling local crime and making communities safer.
Implement higher fines for littering and dog fouling to keep Dublin clean and welcoming.
Introduce improved security measures in the city centre with increased CCTV coverage and a targeted response to reduce open drug use, ensuring a safer environment for all.
Produce an Action Plan for Services for Vulnerable Groups to better support people at risk and people with complex issues by a better management and balanced spread of services, including temporary accommodation, drug treatment facilities, and other essential services.

Culture, Arts, Recreation

Dublin is home to some of Ireland’s top cultural institutions and attractions as well as premier parks, like the Phoenix Park and St. Anne’s Park.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Encourage strategic plans for Dublin’s parks and green spaces – from the OPW-managed Phoenix Park to local authority-managed parks across the capital.
Promote the development of new smaller green spaces, including parklets.
Provide funding for the development of enhanced sports facilities, including sports pitches and other amenities.
Work with museums, galleries, theatres and other cultural spaces to improve access, such as longer opening hours, more structured tours, and other special events.
Introduce ‘Spreagadh,’ the new capital investment programme for the arts which will help improve venues and provide working and collaborative spaces for artists and creatives.
Support the expansion of the ‘My Open Library’ initiative and support key, cultural projects, such as the new Dublin Cultural Quarter at Parnell Square, among others.

Climate

Tackling climate action is essential to ensuring Dublin is a liveable and sustainable city. Fine Gael is committed to making Dublin resilient to climate change while safeguarding our future economic success.

For Dublin, Fine Gael will:

Retrofit State buildings and ensure all new public buildings in Dublin are zero-emission by 2028.
Promote the delivery of district heating schemes which are particularly suited to urban communities.
Improve the uptake of electric vehicles, including overhauling the charging network, which has direct benefits for air quality in the capital.
Improve the biodiversity of the capital, supporting local authorities and community organisations with year-round initiatives.
Ensure local authorities produce and implement clean air policies, noise policies, among other policies which improve quality of life for all.

Fine Gael’s approach is to breathe new life into Dublin City Centre, creating a more dynamic, clean, and safe urban space that meets the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors alike.