Smithfield Market - Not the Intended Urban Renewal Success?

ixoy

I moved into a rented apartment in Smithfield Market over 1.5 years ago and am just wondering do other people think that the area isn't the urban renewal success that developers probably hoped it would be?

Most of the shops lie vacant still and the local Park Inn hotel attracts rowdy hen/bachelor parties most of the time.
The square itself is full of "colorful" local children who hang around in huge gangs, intimidating enough that I now regularly see the cops being called to herd them away.
The noise outside penetrates the apartments to an uncomfortable degree at times, meaning you have to turn up music/tv to drown it out at times. This is particularly a problem at weekends when you get many drunks roaring their idiotic brains out during the wee hours.
And 1/6th of the year, you have an ice-rink plonked on your doorstep which plays music loudly 12 hrs-a-day, 7 days-a-week such that you cannot feel comfortable in your home.

The whole area just doesn't seem to fit in with what the designers may have thought when they originally planned it. I think they envisioned it uplifting the area, with lots of shops etc and a young crowd. Instead it seems an uneasy mix between young professional and "old skool" and I, for one, don't really feel it's always "comfortable" as an area to live in.

Anyone else live here and understand where I'm coming from?

lady_j

ixoy wrote:

The noise outside penetrates the apartments to an uncomfortable degree at times, meaning you have to turn up music/tv to drown it out at times. This is particularly a problem at weekends when you get many drunks roaring their idiotic brains out during the wee hours.
And 1/6th of the year, you have an ice-rink plonked on your doorstep which plays music loudly 12 hrs-a-day, 7 days-a-week such that you cannot feel comfortable in your home.

QUOTE]

From what I understood of the original plans it aimed to be the new temple bar so I guess in terms of drunkness and noise that has been achieved. But I think if you were looking for a quite place to live then I think picking somewhere so central was a mistake on your part, no offence.

Smithfield was never going to change over night. The surrounding area has many council flats which are not managed by dublin city council at all leaving residents feeling forgotten about while swish new apartments built next door. My cousin lives in a coucil flat beside smithfield- she is stuck in a one-bed flat with 5 year old, the flat is so damp that wallpaper peels off the walls and fungus is growing. You cant blame the locals for being a little resentful to the newbies. (not agreeing with that behaviour but I can see where it comes from)

Smithfield is an area in transition, it really only has developed in the past five years and I think shops etc are holding out to see what happens. However recent additions such as the Fresh Supermarket, Thomas Reads are reflecting the new profile of the residents in Smithfield.

Park Inn does have lots of hen parties but as do every cheap hotel in central dublin.

Personally I believe it looks well- lots of events which keep the area alive.

I think the majority of the things you have complained about unfortunately come with the terrority of living central. The same issues arose in The docklands, the new developments around Parnell street. Its a transitional thing. These new developments are cropping up in old dublin communties, communties that have been ignored. I do believe these issues will iron themselves out but it needs more than 5 years to change an area...

melekalikimaka

lovely buildings great work done to the place, still can't get the 'human element' out tho, see alot of junkies and the sort at night there, know a few girls living there and i fear for their safety at times going home late a night there, huge improvements but as FF say

Alot done, Alot more to do

ixoy

I lived in the IFSC for 2 years prior to this and I found it a lot quieter/peaceful.

Admittedly that's had longer to mature as an area and maybe I was expecting too much of the "human" element to somehow vanish.

Melekalikimaka, I see what you're saying as there's a nasty element linger around and it really creates an air of unease at times. I worry sometime about the other half's safety if he's coming home late. Whilst that can happy anywhere, I feel that I might feel safer in suburbia, despite the distance inconvenients. Which is a shame as the apartment is itself nice, just not always the location.

Flukey

I remember Smithfield before they began the work. It has radically changed and improved. I suppose it has just brought a different set of problems with that change.

MadsL

Live in Smithfield too...(waves at ixoy)

Personally I love it, I have a 10 min walk to work (Digital Hub), close to Luas, fish market and veg market right around the corner, shortish stagger home from most entertainments. 10 min walk to cinema (soon to be 30secs when the 4 screen cinema opens downstairs) and I have one of the best views across the city from my apartment.

I don't mind the 'street sounds' at night, but one of the problems is the lack of community feeling in the apartments. Loud parties, screaming at 4am, letting off fire alarms & extinquishers, stealing mats from outside of the door, breaking nameplates on the door, scratching off floor signs so they read 'loo' :rolleyes: vomiting in the lifts, bin bag 'juice' left in the lifts to stink up the place. Dogs sh1tting on the balconies. Sometimes it feels like I'm back in college. Just a general lack of respect in these new apartments, where I lived before (renting) were more owner-occupiers so there was more sense of literally 'ownership'.

Part of the problem is due to the design of the buildings - they badly need;
1. Treble glazing
2. Better sound insulation
3. For the cops to actually come out when the concierge calls them (they won't)
4. A strictly enforced noise policy - midnight (1am weekends) = NO noise. NONE. 3 strikes and you are out. Seriously, I've had neighbours parties go on for 3 days straight - techno blaring at 7am Sunday morning is no fun.

I think the management and community need to do more to foster the sense of community. Tough job though...

Hey

I bought in Simithfield about 18 months ago. To be honest, I have a soft spot for the area, as I rented there for a year prior to that. However, there is certainly an uneasy atmosphere there at times. Not to put too fine a point on it, the plaza has a rough element congretated there pretty much constantly.

The facilities aren't really there for the vast population Smithfield contains. 'Fresh' was a step in the right direction, but is overpriced and Spar is just...not nice. Anyone who went in there last sunday morning (the day of horse mart) will testify to that. 'Escape' gym looks good, again very expensive.

The area needs more. More shops, more facilities, more pubs etc. At the moment it is not all it could be.

Flukey

I was walking around there today. Still a lot of work that could be done around the area. I think it could do with a stronger link through to the main part of the city too. It could be put to better use and has a lot of potential, but it is a bit isolated. It has the Luas, but a good pedestrian route, up at the other end of Smithfield, would bring more people into the area. Not very practical given some of the territory it would have to pass through, but good development around there would create a natural connection. Part of that route has improved a lot from the way it used to be, and there is the road widening that has been done, but there could be more done. I think the IFSC suffers from a similar sort of isolation.

ixoy

MadsL wrote:

Live in Smithfield too...(waves at ixoy)

*Waves back* What block ya in? I'm in A myself.

I don't mind the 'street sounds' at night, but one of the problems is the lack of community feeling in the apartments. Loud parties, screaming at 4am, letting off fire alarms & extinquishers, stealing mats from outside of the door, breaking nameplates on the door, scratching off floor signs so they read 'loo' :rolleyes: vomiting in the lifts, bin bag 'juice' left in the lifts to stink up the place. Dogs sh1tting on the balconies. Sometimes it feels like I'm back in college. Just a general lack of respect in these new apartments, where I lived before (renting) were more owner-occupiers so there was more sense of literally 'ownership'.

Actually my neighbours are generally quiet enough, so I suspect you're in a different block. But then I've rarely met my neighbours and wouldn't recognise them in the street - there's that lack of community thing.
Thankfully, my block inside isn't that bad although I do get the bin juices and see the guilty trail leading to a neighbouring apartment.

Never seen vomit in the lift, but then I rarely take it...

All of what you say though would, for me, lead to an uncomfortable living condition. I couldn't feel at ease/rested at home if there was constant noise from all around me. I think that's something for suburbia only, which is why I'm heading out in that direction.

Part of the problem is due to the design of the buildings - they badly need;
1. Treble glazing
2. Better sound insulation

WORD! I don't need to hear the conversations of people crossing the square all the time and I think it's a poor design when I can hear footsteps across the cobblestones from far off.

3. For the cops to actually come out when the concierge calls them (they won't)

When they do come, there's a half-hearted response to herd the locals away. They just re-congregate shortly afterwards. It's a bit of a joke...

I think the management and community need to do more to foster the sense of community. Tough job though...

It is but then what do they do otherwise? Hoover the stairs occasionally? Enforcing rules more strictly would help people respect the place more and treat it as a home rather than merely somewhere to rest at night.

Dyr

How terrible. You'd imagine dublin coco would have their gentrification/peasant cleansing process down to a tee by now. :rolleyes:

OLP

I was selling daffodils in and around the market on daffiodil day and it seemed really nice and quiet.... at 11am

fly_agaric

Bambi wrote:

How terrible. You'd imagine dublin coco would have their gentrification/peasant cleansing process down to a tee by now. :rolleyes:

Yes. A crying shame.:(

Do any companies make a Peasant/Townie Cleansing Pressure Washer with the "Scum" Removal attachment?

Mayhap Ioxy et al could write to Bertie and suggest it be purchased for Dublin City Council depots and dispatched to teh spiffy new blocks in smithfield toot sweet!

[edit: this is the internet and that was an ironic comment.]

afatbollix

I also live in block A...

i dont have any of the probs ye have had above... maybe all my nabours are good quiet people..


only thing is i know no body in the place but dident expect that.. its not like im in college accomadation where everyone is best mates..

talking to the manager that runs it alot of the shops will be done during the summer.. a load of big named companys are coming so watch this space..

one thing is they should have more concerts on the market.. i like them

and ban the horse market... alkll they bring to the area is ****e..

ixoy

anto-t wrote:

I also live in block A...

Intruiging...

i dont have any of the probs ye have had above... maybe all my nabours are good quiet people..

Well it might be me! As I've said above, my neighbours aren't really the trouble-makers. It's the noise from people outside that brings it down.

The speakers really looked like they were right across from our window. I was actually nearly driven insane by them. We went down once to complain about the noise and it was reduced but they claimed that they always had it at legal noise levels.
The seemingly-endless rink and the accompanying noise are a big reason why I won't be living here come the end of the lease...

talking to the manager that runs it alot of the shops will be done during the summer.. a load of big named companys are coming so watch this space..

Really? Probably open some interesting places just as I leave! Typical

and ban the horse market... alkll they bring to the area is ****e..

I love how 'Fresh' supermarket always closes during the horse market when the square is aswarm with ... people ... selling future glue pots (that's mean, I'm sure the horses are lovely).

Cyrus

@ original poster, you are in the lucky position of renting, if i was you, id just move out

lads seriously theres a lot to be said for moving out into a nice mature suburb, sure it takes longer tot get to work but at least its a safe journey and safe enviroment. to be honest i cant stand dublin past the suffolk st and ive lived here for 9 years now.

ive lived in donnybrook, booterstown, rochestown ave (dun laoire/sallynoggin area) and have now settled (for the foreseeable future ) in blackrock.

North of the city clontarf, malahide, howth etc are lovely places

ixoy

Cyrus wrote:

@ original poster, you are in the lucky position of renting, if i was you, id just move out

I'm doing that at the end of this lease

lads seriously theres a lot to be said for moving out into a nice mature suburb, sure it takes longer tot get to work but at least its a safe journey and safe enviroment. to be honest i cant stand dublin past the suffolk st and ive lived here for 9 years now.

ive lived in donnybrook, booterstown, rochestown ave (dun laoire/sallynoggin area) and have now settled (for the foreseeable future ) in blackrock.

North of the city clontarf, malahide, howth etc are lovely places

I'm from those nice mature suburbs myself - grew up in Portmarnock and then Sutton. It's probably why it bothers me that bit more as these areas are nice, quiet residential ones.

Blackrock is nice (it's where I work and where I'm posting from right now) as well..

Plan is to buy in a quieter, outer suburban area and soothe my troubled mind more (one hopes).