Swords Masterplan - Fingal County Council

2.5 Public Realm Strategy
In recognition of the importance of the public realm to the vibrancy and quality
of the Town Centre environment, Fingal County Council will prepare a public
realm strategy for the Town Centre within 12-24 months of the preparation of
this Masterplan. The key public realm criteria to be considered within such a
strategy are outlined under section 9.0 of this Masterplan.
The public realm strategy for the Town Centre will be prepared in tandem with
the development of the traffic management strategy for Swords Town Centre.
2.6 Strategic Objectives
The Swords Masterplan Area will address the following key objectives necessary
to the future development of Swords:
● Facilitate the growth and development of Swords Town Centre as a multifunctional
highly accessible destination, where people can shop, work, live
and recreate within a high quality environment.
● Promote and enhance the identity of the Town Centre through the
identification of 3 key activity nodes/focal public spaces which will build on
the existing character areas within the Town Centre and link existing
retail/commercial areas to Metro North. These key nodes/focal urban
spaces will be as follows: Civic Quarter, Cultural Quarter, and Metro Quarter.
● Promote core recreational and amenity spaces, utilising in particular the
Ward River Valley Park, Cultural Quarter, Civic Quarter at Swords Castle and
Town Park, Ward River Walk west of Main Street, and Metro Quarter.
● Require modern, energy efficient and quality designed and finished buildings
within the traditional Town Centre and Town Centre expansion areas. New
buildings will have regard to the Swords Heights Strategy.
● Develop Urban Design Guidelines for Main Street and North Street areas
which will seek to enhance the Town’s character.
● Facilitate the creation of a new street fronting the river walk to the west of
Main Street and support co-ordinated infill development on key strategic
sites along Main Street and North Street in accordance with Urban Design
Guidelines and Site Development Briefs.
● Encourage the growth and expansion of the range and mix of Town Centre
uses through the expansion of the Town Centre to the south and southwest,
within the Pavilions development area and Barrysparks development area,
in accordance with an Urban Design Framework addressing these areas.
● Ensure the integration of the Town Centre expansion areas of the Pavilions
and Barrysparks, with the Main Street area and activity nodes, through the
creation of a permeable and legible street network, active 24 hour streets,
and provision of a mix of attractive Town Centre uses, within a quality urban
environment.
● Facilitate the development of a multi-modal transport interchange within
the Metro Quarter, linking Metro North with local and regional bus networks
and surrounding vehicular network.
● Provide for the integration of Swords Metro Stop with developments east
and west of the R132 (Pavilions and Barrysparks) and with the Town Centre
through the creation of a Metro Quarter. Metro Quarter will comprise a
S W O R D S M A S T E R P L A N
Metro Plaza and bridge over the R132 connecting Pavilions and Barrysparks
for pedestrian/cyclist and public transport. It will also comprise a vehicular
road network under the R132/Metro North providing access to underground
car parks connecting development east and west of the R132. This vehicular
network under the R132/Metro North will be referred to throughout this
document as the ‘Metro Box’*. Access to this network is via ramps directly
from the R132.
● Provide for the free movement of pedestrians, cyclists, vehicular traffic and
public transport within the Metro Quarter, in particular crossing east and
west over the R132 at the Metro Plaza level and under the R132 via the
proposed vehicular road network.
● Encourage the development of Landmark Buildings at the Swords Metro
Stop location, which will be the gateway entrance to Swords. Such Landmark
buildings will be high quality, modern and energy efficient structures with the
highest quality of finishes.
2.6.1 FUTURE DELIVERABLES
● Develop a Traffic Management and Parking Strategy to facilitate improved
movement and access within the existing and expanded Town Centre, and
assess the potential benefits of a pedestrian and public transport
prioritisation scheme on Main Street.
● Develop a coherent Public Realm Strategy in conjunction with the Traffic
Management Strategy for Swords Town Centre within 12-24 months of the
preparation of this Masterplan.
● Develop a Landscape and Recreation Strategy for the Ward River Valley
Park within 12-24 months of the preparation of this Masterplan.
● Design and deliver a multi-modal transport interchange within the Metro
Quarter, linking Metro North with local and regional bus networks and
surrounding vehicular network.
* Metro Box is an underground vehicular connection across the R132, associated ramps, and necessary
realignment of the R132 locally, in order to provide for access to lands zoned ‘Swords Town Centre’
east and west of the R132, as shown in the Fingal Development Plan 2005 to 2011. This Metro Box plan
was adopted under Part 8.
1 5