North Fringe – Way Forward - Connections

The North Fringe lands master plan of Dublin city Council was derived as an integrated planning solution to the proper usage of lands from the M1 in the West to the North/South Rail Line in the East.  These developments are closely linked to the South Fringe and Stapolin areas of Fingal County Council.  Most construction work in all of these areas has now stopped due to the on-going economic recession.  However much good work has been done and this briefing note intends to show how a lot of connectivity can even now be achieved from a little expenditure.   

The areas in Dublin City Council are:

• Clongriffin, including Marrsfield Avenue, The Square, Beaupark and the area adjacent to Father Collins Park.
• Priory Hall  
  
• Belmayne, including the two primary schools.
• Northern Cross, on the west side of the R107 / Malahide Road.  
  

The areas in Fingal County Council are:

• Stapolin – Including Myrtle and Red Arches on the Coast.
  
• Saint Samsons & Castlemoyne to the North of the Mayne River and South of the Balgriffin Road.  
  

Within these separate developments there are a large number of amenities either completed or about to be completed.

• The DART Station at Clongriffin is to open on 19th April 2010.
  
• Father Collins Park official opening is scheduled for 27^th Mary 2009.
• The commercial centre at Clongriffin is substantially complete and awaiting an anchor tenant.
• The two primary schools are open at Belmayne.  
  
• Crèches are built and / or open in all the developments.
• The Mayne Linear Park is substantially complete along its length from the Malahide Road to the railway line.  
  
• The Northern Cross has most of its commercial units let.

However more of these facilities can reach their potential without sufficient footfall and that requires that all of the above be connected.  This can be best achieved by the following: 

• Completion of the public transport bridge over the railway.  This would allow residents of the Red Arches and Myrtle to access the town centre at Clongriffin and will give impetuous to the construction of the commercial centre on the Stapolin side of the railway.
• Opening of the already constructed sections of road connecting Clongriffin / Marrsfield Avenue through Priory Hall to Belmayne and onto the Grange Road at the entrance to Clare Hall.
• Completion of the traffic lights at junction of Clongriffin / Hole in the Wall Road by June 2009.  
  
• Completion of the traffic lights at Belmayne / Malahide Road junction by June 2009.
• Construction of pedestrian way from Saint Samsons over the existing bridge over the Mayne River adjacent to the playground at Belmayne.  This will aid school children in accessing the two primary schools without having to cross any roads.
• Completion of the new Hole in the Wall Road up to the Drumnigh Road.  This will necessitate the construction of a new bridge over the Mayne River.  All of the construction is in the Fingal County Council administrative area.  This will also go along way to improving access to the Belmayne schools.  
  
• Opening of the road to the North of Father Collins Park so as to connect the growing community along the Mayne River in the Pierce constructed apartments to schools and in order to complete the park.
• Signalisation of Hole in the Wall Road / Grange Road junction.  
  

All of the above is aspirational and will require a considerable amount of negotiation.  However these steps taken together will aid in making the vision proposed for the North Fringe come to pass.