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Letter from DLRCC re key infrastructure projects in Sandyford Business District

Following regular engagement with Frank Curran, CEO DLRCC and his management team throughout the year please see the latest update from Paul Kennedy, Director of Service DLRCC, regarding key infrastructure projects Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is currently working on for Sandyford Business District.

We would welcome your feedback and suggestions for similar projects. Please email us at operations@sandyford.ie

Dear District,

As we approach year end and preparations are being made for the Christmas break, we wanted to give you a brief update on some key infrastructure projects we are currently working on for you in Sandyford Business District. We were delighted to collaborate with TII to deliver a new permeability link to Bracken Road from the recently constructed Sandyford Cycle Route in 2023. The development has helped to significantly cut walking and cycling journey times between Sandyford Business District and Sandyford Village, reconnecting two areas on opposite sides of the M50.

The continual development and improvements to the infrastructure of Sandyford Business District continues to be a key priority for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and we hope that 2024 will bring about the progress of some key developments in the district.

Sandyford Business District Infrastructure Works:

Progress and outlook on the M50 Junction 14 Link Road:

• Clifton Scannell Emerson & Associates (CSE) appointed project design review consultants.
• City Valuers appointed to carry out Land Negotiations on CPO lands with ESB/Spirit Motor OHM/Aviva
• IGSL were appointed by CSE as Site Investigation contractor, and have committed to a programme with works to be start in December and completion of lab and reports i in January 2024
• Tender to be published in March 2024, with start on site after builders’ holiday in August 2024.
• Site duration 12 to 15 months with completion in late 25, dependent on the design of the signalised roundabout off the M50 and co-operation from TII.
  

Progress and outlook in relation to the Sandyford Active Travel Scheme:

• Funding has been secured from the NTA for a review of existing design, which was deemed to inconsistent with the standard required to added to the National Cycling Network.
• Project transferred from the Traffic Dept to the Active Travel Dept. where a design review is planned for Q1 2024.
• Design review expected to be complete by Q2 2024 and will be reviewed by the NTA.
• Once the design review is complete and agreeable to the NTA, Funding will be sought for the new design and where possible funding will be reallocated to this project, which may be a combination of both NTA and DLR match funding.
• Tender to be published in Q3 2024.
• Contractor to be appointed and project to be on site in Q4 2024.

Progress and outlook in relation to the Corrig Road Lands & Pocket Park:

• Leaseholders at plots 26, 27 & 28 Corrig Road have all been contacted to advise of council’s intention to enact SLO 57 in the County Development Plan 2022 to 2028 for which these plots are zoned and states: “To develop a Sandyford Business District Civic Park at the Corner of Corrig Road and Carmanhall Road”.
• This is further underpinned in the Sandyford Urban Framework Plan under Section 2.3.7 of the plan with deals with “ Objective F – Open Space - Zone 7” (which covers plots 26,27 & 28).
• Given the amount of vacant office space within the Sandyford Business District, it is hoped to relocate and retain the existing leaseholders from plots 26,27 & 28 within the Business District.
• We have also been in discussions with the owners of plot 25 Corrig Road which has recently become vacant, and maybe a viable relocation site for one of the existing l leaseholders from 26/27/28.
• In parallel to this, we continue to work with Sandyford BID to progress the IB Green Interreg funded project for the development of a civic park at Corrig Road.

Progress and outlook in relation to the Civic IPSUM Traffic Data Analytics Project:

• This Project analyses data from various sources to provide insight into traffic movement in the Sandyford area. Data sources include Civic/IPSUM Junction data, Tom-Tom, Strava Metro, Footfall Counters and Weather and Event Data.
• Ahead of the upgrade to Junction 14 on the M50 and the implementation of further cycle infrastructure in Sandyford we aim to provide comprehensive baseline data to allow a before/after comparison and to measure the success of the infrastructure upgrades.
• See.Sense is a Northern Irish company that leverages advanced sensor and AI technology to make cycling and micromobility safer and smarter. Their smart bike lights collect a myriad of actionable road infrastructure and usage data. See the Dún Laoghaire Case Study to illustrate this - https://seesense.cc/blogs/hub/dun-laoghaire-case- study-the-impact-of-cycling-infrastructure-investment
• We propose to partner with See.Sense in delivering 200 Cycle Sensors for deployment to cyclists in the Sandyford area. These sensors would add another more granular level of data on road use and infrastructure. This would drive local engagement with Smart Sandyford and highlight the work of the Local Authority in improving the local infrastructure in Sandyford.
• Smart Sandyford would work with the dlr Digital Strategy Team in engaging with the business community to deploy the sensors. The data would then be added to the existing dataset to provide further traffic and infrastructure insights.
  

Progress and outlook in relation to pursuing the potential acquisition of the Imaginosity building.

• The council has looked at the possibility of acquiring the vacant Imaginosity site in Sandyford Business District.
• Site visits have been carried out by council staff and JV Tierney consultants were appointed to carry out and full building condition survey and M&E assessment.
• A BER assessment has also been sought for the building, to give us an idea of current energy rating and the identify work that maybe required to bring the building up to a
• B rating, which is now required for all local authority corporate buildings.
• The final condition report is due to be completed

In what has been a very busy 2023, we would like to wish all of the team at Sandyford BID a very Happy Christmas and look forward to working with you and the board toward progressing these projects in 2024 and building on the partnership and success story that is Sandyford Business District.

Kind regards,

Paul Kennedy

Director of Service DLRCC