Dún Laoghaire Harbour Masterplan

Reimagining Ireland’s historic harbour as a vibrant waterfront destination. Masterplan sets out a long-term vision for the transformation of one of Ireland’s most significant historic harbours into a vibrant, inclusive and resilient waterfront destination.
Client
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council
Status
In development
Start year
2024
End year
2026
Gross area
1.011.714 m2
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Living Harbour

The Living Harbour concept reimagines Dún Laoghaire as the beating heart of the town: active, connected and shaped by everyday life at the water’s edge. It brings together movement, recreation, culture and public space to create a harbour that is engaging, inclusive and used throughout the year.

Rather than treating the harbour as a collection of separate destinations, the masterplan connects its piers, quays and activity areas into one coherent sequence of places. Each area keeps its own character, while contributing to a wider waterfront experience that encourages people to move, explore, gather and return.

Connecting the harbour with the town

The masterplan reconnects Dún Laoghaire town centre with its waterfront, strengthening the physical and visual links between two places that have historically felt separate. It creates clearer routes to the water and a more continuous sequence of public spaces from the town into the harbour.

New and improved pedestrian and cycle connections, landscape interventions and activity nodes help draw people through the harbour and encourage everyday use of the waterfront. Rather than treating the harbour as a single destination, the strategy creates a network of distinct places and experiences, connected by a coherent public-realm framework. This should sit much better on the page than the current large paragraph, especially if the first two sentences are set larger and the two supporting paragraphs are kept small.

A framework for long-term regeneration

The masterplan sets out a flexible framework for the harbour to evolve over time rather than prescribing a fixed end-state. It allows individual areas and projects to come forward in phases, while still contributing to one coherent long-term vision for the harbour.

It builds on the harbour’s existing role as a destination for walking, sailing and recreation, while extending activity beyond the historic piers and opening up more of the waterfront for everyday use. Improved connections, public spaces and landscape strengthen links to the town and support a wider mix of watersports, culture, events and community activity.


 

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