Feasibility Study Proposal for Castle Shopping Centre Fingal Development Plan 2017

Prepared by SFA

Introduction

This document has been prepared as a submission to the Fingal County Council Development Plan 2017 and takes into account the recent Architectural Masterplan of the Swords Castle Cultural Quarter by Reddy Architecture and Urbanism. The purpose of this report is to highlight the importance of Castle Shopping Centre as a strategic site in the context of this masterplan and upcoming development plan.

The opening of the county council grounds will have a positive impact on the public space between the castle and FCC. It will be important that the new buildings proposed in the Castle masterplan are of high quality design that merits the delicate, and lengthy, process of opening up the castle once again to the main Street.

With the castle consolidated as a principal focal point for the town centre we decided to look at the other points of interest which can link together to form a sense of identity to Swords outside of the pavilion shopping centre.

There is now a great opportunity to improve pedestrian links along the River Valley which links the extended residential areas to the town centre and the castle grounds and this can be seen in previous development plans by FCC. The Castle Shopping Centre at Bridge Street is at the heart of this green connection which would otherwise run completely uninterrupted through the whole town but instead is hidden behind the Main Street.

left Historical Development of the town

Figure Ground Diagram Showing Castle Shopping Centre (Red) and Public Realm (Orange)

The River Ward and Castle Shopping Centre

The existing shopping centre itself is important to locals who arrived before the Pavilions. This is where football teams meet before heading off to away matches and where wedding rings are bought. Most of all it is used as a car park for people getting dinner or running errands on the main street.

The car park is vital for the small businesses in the shopping centre which opened in 1981. However it is important to evaluate whether the current design and configuration of the car park and existing building is congruent with aspirations of the local area plan of 2017.

The shopping centre backs onto the river creating a dead space between the building and the river. Also without a mixed use program the site becomes an area of potential antisocial behavior after business hours.

Another important attribute of the site is the change of level. The Car Park is one storey lower than the shops on the main street and backs onto a retaining wall behind the loading bays of the Londis/Clarkes and the Hardware. It may be possible to use the section through the site to improve the relationship to the river while incorporating existing and/or new programs.

Top Historical Photo of Mill at Castle Shopping Centre; Bottom Left, River Ward; Bottom Right Existing Building

Swords – A sight for sore eyes

It has been the aspiration of the council a distinct urban identity for Swords as a marketing and branding tool for the town.

Sord, coming from the Irish word for pure or clear, was the name given to the pagan settlement around a well which was worshipped for what was thought to be a magical power to cure sore eyes. This was before St.Colmcille founded the monastery in the 6th century which overlooks the river Ward. Normans arrived in the 12th century building the tower beside the roundtower and the castle and the main street began to take shape. There was a Mill powered by the river on the site of the Castle Shopping Centre up until the 1930’s.

Along the stretch of river between St Colmcille’s Well and the castle lies all the entire history of the town which swords main street backs onto.

An extension of the castle masterplan could take a proper riverwalk into account and link all these pieces of swords history.A redevelopment of Castle Shopping Centre and a pedestrian route along the river can achieve this.

Section through River Mall

Section through Colmcille Court

Section through Old Borough School

Section through Swords Plaza

Conclusion

In the author’s opinion a feasibility study for a riverwalk along the River Ward should be procured or carried out by Fingal County Council in a similar way to which the castle masterplan was prepared.

At the same time the current stakeholders, namely property owners of the retail units which make up the castle shopping centre as well as landowners of the sites which back onto the river should be contacted and invited to a workshop which could form the basis for the project.

Also a recent government announcement that funding will be made available for placemaking in communities may be relevant for this project:

An €80 million fund for urban renewal projects being finalized by the Department of the Environment will seek to tackle the problem by supporting targeted developments likely to boost the economy of towns and cities. (Irish Times 30th April)

But first this initiative should be facilitated by the incoming Development and Local Area Plan 2017-2023.

Obviously If FCC needs any more information on our research on this subject or our work they can contact me directly on stephenfoley.arq@gmail.com to arrange a meeting.

Model Photos from Academic Project carried out for the School of Architecture at DIT