Introduction: Earlier this year I sent my personal recommendations for the conservation and appropriate development of the Moore Street Quarter to the Minster of Heritage’s Consultative Group on Moore Street.  Given that Group had been chosen by the Minister who has fought against the conservation of the quarter and denied it is a historic battleground and that she has appealed the judgement of the High Court Judge who ruled against her, I did not expect great things from this group.  When membership of the group was refused to important participants in the campaign such as the National Graves Association, the Save Moore Street from Demolition campaign and the Save Moore Street 2016 campaign, my cynicism was further justified.  However, “let them not be able to say that campaigners did not supply them with our opinions” is what I think and so I contributed to a number of group submissions and then presented my own.  Two parts of this I have already published here

https://rebelbreeze.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/the-1916-history-of-moore-street/

https://rebelbreeze.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/the-moore-street-market-a-possible-future/

and I have skipped ahead of some to other sections to publish this, the recommendations at the end of my submission. 

Diarmuid Breatnach

CONCRETE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MOORE STREET QUARTER

In consultation with campaigners, street traders, the public, small shopkeepers, local residents, historians, architects and elected representatives: Save, Restore, Rebuild, Improve.

• The whole area should be pedestrianised with the usual access exemptions for deliveries within certain hours, emergency services etc.

• Buildings of the 1916 period in the Quarter should be preserved

• All other buildings in the quarter should be preserved, renovated or reconstructed as necessary to appearance appropriate to the period and area (and appropriate to their current use – I am not advocating the building of public outside toilets or slaughterhouses)

• The upper floor of the 1916 Terrace should be developed into a 1916 history experience, integrated with the GPO and the Evacuation Route, with disabled access

• and the history being ‘social’ (i.e. how people lived) as well as a ‘political’ (about 1916)

• The Evacuation Route should be conserved and appropriately renovated where necessary, with important events marked by plaques, panels and murals along its route

• The Evacuation Route should be brought back to the period cobbles and kept clear of rubbish or graffiti with disabled access

• Moore Lane and O’Rahilly Parade should be brought back to original cobbles with disabled access

• The Moore Street Market should be valued and promoted

  

• Petty official harassment of traders and small businesses should cease and appropriate expansion and regulations eased to assist in more varied use of the market

• The traders should be provided with toilets, nearby water supply ports, heating and lighting for stalls

• The whole street market should be provided with retractable transparent roof and sliding doors at each end

• The street market should be made available as a “farmers’ market” on Sundays

• The Historical Quarter and Cultural Quarter should be linked informationally

• and with and underground pedestrian way connecting the two under Parnell Street

• The development should take place in the context of upgrading the area as a history, culture and leisure area, most of it accessible by day and night

• The part of Moore Street not currently part of the Barrett judgement should be included in the overall plan

• The State should investigate the potential of applying for World Heritage Status, consulting widely and publishing its recommendations

• Also for conservation within a European framework (some aspects of Horizon 2020 may be useful in this respect)

• In order to do all this, a first priority is to formally urge the Minister to drop the appeal and I submit that the Consultative Group should do exactly that.

• Develop a democratic, open and transparent partnership process to oversee the development, with representation for all stakeholders, including street traders and local small businesses, nearby residents, historians, campaigners (including activists currently excluded from the Consultative Group), historians ….