A plan to save Smithfield square

It was supposed to be a bustling cultural quarter but instead it's seen as a barren, intimidating space. Plans are now afoot to reinvigorate the district, writes CARL O'BRIEN, Chief Reporter

WHATEVER ABOUT the plan’s shortcomings, they didn’t lack ambition. The 12 giant gas braziers would light up the night sky, acting as beacons to attract people to Smithfield. The large square would host all of Dublin’s major civic events, from rock concerts and the St Patrick’s Day parade to the marathon. The horse fair would be moved elsewhere, while the arrival of the Luas and high-end apartments would transform one of the city’s most neglected areas into a bustling, dynamic urban quarter.

Today, just over a decade after the regeneration of Smithfield began, many of these aims either have been derailed or are still waiting to be realised.

The gas braziers aren’t lit any more (the official reason is they’re not considered eco-friendy; it also happens to cost upwards of €500 an hour to run them). Dozens of shops are lying empty and the square is seldom used as a civic amenity. Key pieces of the regeneration jigsaw, such as the relocation of Dublin Institute of Technology to Grangegorman and the renovation of the city markets, have stalled.

At a time when the area needed a lift, a shooting at last month’s horse fair was yet another blow to its faltering reputation.

But disappointing as the the pace of development at the square has been, there is another layer to the story of Smithfield’s regeneration that is less evident.

Some traders are quietly growing, while cultural and theatre groups are taking over empty commercial premises and beginning to transform parts of the area into an alternative, artistic community reminiscent of Temple Bar in the 1980s. Slowly, the vision of Smithfield as a cultural quarter is becoming a reality, though in a way that few envisaged.

Overall, planners insist it is far too early to say the regeneration plans have failed. They acknowledge that the pace of growth has been much slower than expected, and that mistakes were made in the design of the area, but fresh plans are afoot to try to tap into the full potential of the area in dramatically changed economic circumstances.

IN A DARK, cavernous, empty retail space fronting on to Smithfield square is the Complex, a venue that’s quickly developing a reputation for live performances and festivals.

Despite the industrial appearance, it feels oddly appropriate for a theatre. The building was recently transferred to Nama, so it's fitting that yesterday it began hosting performances of The Merchant of Venice. "A classic Shakespearean tale of love and hate with a moral all too familiar in the current clime – 'all that glisters is not gold'," say the promotional posters.

Down the street, Block T is based in what was an old, dingy Chinese market. It hosts art exhibitions, Berlin-style underground gigs and poetry readings.

“We’ve 17 resident artists, studios where they work, and we’re hosting performances and workshops and exhibitions,” says Laura Downs, who helped establish the venue and who also runs a creative agency, Talented Minds.

“Just this weekend we’re launching a gallery, and the response has been brilliant. We’re beginning to get a lot of attention from the press, who are beginning to realise what’s happening here.

“We’re tapping into a strong creative ethos here in Smithfield and beyond, in places like Stoneybatter, Ormond Quay, the Liberties. There are so many talented people living here: photographers, actors, designers. Remember, the vision for Smithfield was for it to become a cultural quarter.”

Another of Smithfield’s key tenants is the Light House Cinema. Maretta Dillon and Neil Connolly operated the original two-screen Light House on Abbey Street from 1988 to 1996. The new cinema at Smithfield, with its plush, multicoloured seats, caters mainly for an art-house audience.

Business has not been easy, although the owners say box-office receipts have improved since the start of 2011. January and February of this year were its busiest two months to date, with successful screenings of the French film Of Gods and Men and the Oscar-winning The King’s Speech.

Depsite this, the Light House faces an uncertain future. The owners are in dispute with their landlord, who has brought a winding-up petition against the cinema, over the doubling of their rent. The petition has been adjourned until Friday.

“We remain hopeful that common sense will prevail and that we’ll manage to reach a resolution with the landlord in advance of the hearing,” says Connolly.

“It’s been a very challenging environment for us to attempt to survive in. The vision for Smithfield that everyone imagined back in 2007 when we signed the lease has been gravely disappointing. This was supposed to be a bustling, vibrant area with a lot going on, but that hasn’t been realised. The public perception is that it’s an intimidating, dark space that’s far away from the city centre with not enough people. The only reason we’re succeeding is that we’re a destination venue.”

What people don’t always realise, he says, is that there is ample parking in the area (there’s a multistorey close by) and that the venue is a short walk from the Luas stop.

“We’re confident there is still huge potential. If we can resolve the rent issue, we still have big ambitions for the place, and there is a huge amount of goodwill towards us.”

THE AREA STILL has its problems. These days Smithfield’s centrepiece, the cobbled and granite-paved square, which is the size of two GAA pitches, feels empty and forbidding. Local gardaí say petty theft and car robberies are a major problem. New CCTV cameras were installed on the square following a mini-riot outside the Children’s Court last year.

Ramanathan Murugesu, who is his 30s and has been running the kiosk at the Smithfield Luas stop for two years, was beset with vandalism and theft in the early days.

“People were afraid to come and run the kiosk because of the reputation for robberies, break-ins, vandalism.” he says. “Yes, I have had my trouble here, but it’s fading away a bit now. You begin to know trouble makers. Mostly, it’s just kids trying to impress their friends.”

Some locals say the lack of commerce and people around at night can make it feel intimidating. In addition, people still regard the monthly horse fair as a problem, although there are significant numbers who say it should be retained and better managed.

“It’s a Dublin fair. It’s our tradition, and it should stay,” says Dessie Hughes from Co Meath, who was selling horses with his two sons last Sunday. “If there was more support for it, this would be a big success. And look at all the tourists around here.”

Gus Smyth, another horse trader from Meath, says the reputation for the mistreatment of horses is unfair on the majority of responsible traders. “I’ve sold well and bought well here,” says Smyth, holding a traditional Irish cob by a piece of rope. “Most horses are in very good condition, but a small number aren’t. They are the exception. The same thing is true of any farm around the country.”

Dublin City Council has long sought the removal of the fair but has been blocked by an ancient market right of horse traders to hold their sales on the land.

In the meantime planners say they are working to kick-start the regeneration plans with a series of “enhancement works” to the area.

These include providing access to the square for tour buses, redeveloping the southern end of the square close to the quays, which was never completed, as a children’s play area and softening the open square with grass and planters.

“We don’t see the present works as re-envisaging Smithfield. It still has the grandiose vision to it; this is more to do with supporting the elements that haven’t been working,” says Brian Swan, Dublin City Council’s deputy city architect.

“This reworked Smithfield will have a more constant level of activity. There’ll be greater scope to have smaller-scale events on a regular basis, like food markets, book markets, clothes markets. The square needs a life 365 days a year instead of it being used just once in a blue moon.”

Already there are encouraging signs. The old Chief O’Neill’s hotel is to be taken over by Generator Hostels, which is fitting out a 500-bed budget hotel. Some empty shops are expected to be occupied again in the summer. The tour buses that ferry 750,000 tourists around the city will begin to arrive soon.

Perhaps the most optimistic of all for Smithfield’s future is Paddy Kelly, the developer whose consortium was involved in building much of the west side of the square and some of whose retail properties were recently transferred to Nama. He says the scheme shows that apartment living can work and that families in Ireland, as on the Continent, are happy to live in high-quality schemes.

“Overall, I think it’s been 95 per cent positive,” he says. “The apartments are fully occupied, you have a hotel, a supermarket, a medical clinic. There’s a lot in the area that’s right. All we’re missing is retail on the ground. When rents comes down, and we get rid of upward-only rent reviews, we’ll begin to see a lot of progress. I’m sure of that.”