A plan for the redesign of New Street in Malahide to fit in with the pedestrianisation which has been in place since Covid was approved tonight by Fingal councillors.
The pedestrianisation of the street has been subject to legal challenges and sustained campaigning against it, but it has had the support of a majority of local councillors and has now gained the support of the majority of all of the councils’ councillors.
Debate on the plan for the street took up most of the Fingal County Council meeting tonight before a majority, 22, councillors voted to cement in the pedestrianisation with a full redesign of the street.
Nine voted against the project and another five abstained.
The project includes widening the footpath and a realignment and narrowing of the remaining area for deliveries between 7am to 11am and emergency access at all times. Two-way access from Strand Street to Ross’s Terrace via New Street will be maintained.
(article continues below 3D visualisation of the planned redesign)
The removal and replacement of 11 existing trees with 37 trees which the council said are “species appropriate to the location and environment”. An arborist’s report said that the current trees do not have tree pits containing their roots and, if left in place, would grow larger as they are not fully matured. Damage is already being caused to footpaths and underground services and pushing water towards private premises.
Council officials said tonight that the trees would be required to be cut down regardless of the pedestrianisation project.
The project also includes soft landscaping, outdoor dining areas, public benches, a water feature, public lighting, upgrading the water main and foul drainage networks, and adding sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDs) features as part of hard and soft landscaping.
Artist’s impressions:
Landscape drawings
A lot of opposition to this is more about how it was originally done than what is being done. One of the problems with it is that its created a fixation on this single street and less consideration about traffic management and active travel in the village as a whole and not just on this one street.