Alison Alderton looks at a new partnership which will upgrade and enhance a popular section of the Grand Canal in Dublin.
WATERWAYS Ireland (WI) and IPUT Real Estate Dublin have announced a public-private partnership to upgrade the public realm along Dublin’s Grand Canal between Leeson and Baggot Street bridges on the northern towpath along Wilton Terrace.
The project, co-funded by WI and IPUT Real Estate Dublin, Ireland’s leading commercial property company, will improve amenities along the canal bank and include increased accessibility for pedestrians and mobility aid users; enhanced public seating; the replacement of two existing narrow paths with one wider path and create a canal bank set-aside area.
The enhancements have been sensitively and carefully designed to ensure the character and heritage of the area is preserved and protected so they can be thoroughly and safely enjoyed by everyone, upgrading the essence and character of the place without making radical changes to the vista. Higher quality materials will be utilised to refurbish existing seating and new seating will be added, with the ambition of reusing timbers from lock gates.
The collaboration between WI and IPUT will deliver a high-quality urban space to complement the recent restoration of the nearby Wilton Park by IPUT. It will reinforce the ‘sense of place’ people already have for this stretch of the canal, create space in the city for people to fully engage with the canal and its environs and positively contribute to making Dublin a climate-resilient city.
Enhancements to biodiversity will include improving habitats for wildlife, additional native planting schemes and protection for existing trees so they can continue to thrive. These schemes will include only native and canal-suitable varieties while all existing trees will be retained and further protection for tree roots added. The paths will be permeable to further protect the tree roots and will also segregate walkers and cyclists and protect the existing canal diversity in key locations.
Conservation area
This stretch of canal is a unique area in Dublin city, boasting one of the widest urban canal towpaths and a number of Dublin city’s finest tree specimens. The canal corridor is important for biodiversity in the city, with evidence of otters and bats in this location. It is located within a Georgian conservation area and is strongly associated with literary Dublin – the much-loved Patrick Kavanagh statue is located on this stretch, which is one of the most photographed locations in Dublin. The statue will be protected throughout the works.
The Patrick Kavanagh statue was created by John Coll and unveiled in 1991. It depicts a life-size bronze of the poet and novelist seated on a bench overlooking the Grand Canal at Mespil Road and was inspired by his poem; Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin. It is a popular tourist attraction in an area where pedestrian counters have recorded some of the highest footfall in the city, which will increase further when nearby office developments open, with up to 5000 new workers in the area.
Recent research shows that 26% of the population of the Island of Ireland visited Grand Canal/Grand Canal Dock in the past 12 months. The primary reasons for visiting are walking (50%); tourist visits (21%); mental well-being/mindfulness (16%) and running/jogging (16%). A total of 81% of visitors agreed that spending time at a waterway significantly contributed to their overall well-being and mental health (Source: Usage & Attitudes Study, October 2024, W5).
Waterways Ireland’s 10-Year Plan and 2025 Business Plan highlight Greater Dublin as its most transformative opportunity to deliver for the public good: to reimagine how locals and visitors experience and traverse the city and surrounding areas; to make a climate positive impact through traffic reduction by hosting more journeys on the Grand Canal and Royal Canal Greenways.
Unique collaboration
John McDonagh, chief executive officer at WI, said: “Waterways Ireland’s ambition is the sustainable development of iconic/transformative projects which ‘make a difference’ at scale, for the public good. We are delighted to announce this unique collaboration with IPUT Real Estate to enhance and preserve this stretch of the Grand Canal in Dublin, for the benefit of all. The recent stakeholder engagement process has been unanimously welcoming and positive towards the upgrade, which will maximise the amenity value of the area for all comers while supporting it as a busy commuting area.”
Niall Gaffney, chief executive at IPUT Real Estate Dublin, said: “Wilton Park is an important city centre location with strong links to Dublin’s literary history. We are proud to have recently completed the restoration of the city park and launched Mary Lavin Place in honour of one of Ireland’s most celebrated women writers. We are now proud to work with Waterways Ireland to upgrade the banks of Dublin’s Grand Canal, providing enhanced amenities for residents, our occupiers and visitors to the area. We believe this investment will continue to enhance the attractiveness and vibrancy of Dublin’s city centre which we have been investing in for the past 60 years.”
Dublin-based landscape architects BSLA led the design of the project. Award-winning international landscape architecture firm Maylim has been appointed to deliver the project, which is expected to be complete by early summer 2025.
