Dick Gleeson has big plans for Dublin city. As the city’s planner, he would like to see Dublin’s becoming one of the best city centres in Europe by 2016. To that end, Gleeson has a long wish-list. He’d like to see uninterrupted walkways and cycle paths linking Sutton to Sandycove - taking advantage of Dublin Bay - and from Sandycove to Chapelizod. He’d like to see the banks of the Liffey improved along the quays, with redeveloped areas of the city - such as Smithfield, O’Connell Street and the new square being built as part of the Spencer Dock project in the docklands - being linked by a continuous pedestrian route. He wants Henry Street and Grafton Street and the large shopping area between the two to remain the number one shopping centre in the country. He believes there is enough space between the two streets to build the equivalent of three Dundrum Shopping Centres. As an example, he cites the areas behind the old Habitat building on St Stephen’s Green and areas of Dawson Street and Molesworth Street that could be developed into shopping streets.
