Lucan Demesne Park - Finian McCarthy

L ucan D emesne

18371126 Finian McCarthy Landcape Studio 4A

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Connecting Lucan Demesne Park with the river and its opposite banks.

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ucan Demesne is a historical linear park on South bank of the River Liffey in Dublin. It was originally owned by Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan. South Dublin County Council have been managing the park since it was acquired by the State in 1996. Across the river lies St Catherine’s Park, managed by Kildare and Fingal County Councils. South Dublin have recently installed a Fairy trail in the park, as part of a range of them in the county. The Liffey is used for kayaking in the area and facilities are set up for this purpose. The path from the main entrance decends down into the valley of the river where there are walking trails and creative play facilities.

HERMETIGE GOLF CLUB

NORTH COUNTY DUBLIN

CASTLETOWN HOUSE LUCAN DEMENSE

THE K CLUB

CELBRIDGE

WATERSTOWN PARK

WAR MEMORIAL PARK

PHOENIX PARK DUBLIN PORT

SOUTH COUNTY DUBLIN

CLANE MILLICENT GOLF CLUB

NAAS

NEWBRIDGE LINEAR PARK

NEWBRIDGE

POLLAPHUCA RESERVOIR KILCULLEN

KEY LAND USES, TRIBUTARIES + FLOODING THE RIVER TODAY - RIVER LIFFEY MAPPING Fig. 1 RECREATIONAL AREAS AREAS OF IMPORTANCE URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Lucan Demesne park lies on the outskirts of Dublin in a partially industrial part of the suburbs. The area is used a lot for recreation with gold courses and GAA near-by, and water sports on the river.

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his particular part of the River Liffey is located just down-stream of the Leixlip reservoir which is held by a dam built in the 1940s. This feature makes the area of Lucan Demesne Park less susceptible to severe flooding. Severe flooding such as one that happened in December 1954 - did not have any significant adverse effects on Lucan Demesne Park on the south bank.

Fig. 2

Historical Flooding extents

Fig. 3

100yr/1000yr Flooding extents

Fig. 4

St. Catherines Park

Water Treatment Plant

Leixlip

Traffic Crossing

Lucan Demesne Park

Leixlip Hydro Station

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Fig. 5

Pedestrian Bridge

Traffic Crossing

Lucan

Primary entrance

Fig. 6

Key Issues.

The river as an obstacle In a 3.4km stretch along the river Liffey between Leixlip and Lucan, there is only one pedestrian bridge. This is a low traffic bridge, installed when the water treatment plant was built. This represents a disconnect between the North and South sides of the county.

“ Connection between Lucan Demesne Park and St Catherines Park is broken.

Fig. 7

Connection with the public The primary entrance to Lucan Demesne Park is located at it’s narrowest point There is no sign that the small car park leads to this stunning landscape and there is no reason for a passer-by to consider what lies beyond the narrow path. This, again, is symptomatic of a disconnect in the lanscape.

“ The park is hidden with no signals to attract interest from the public.

Fig. 8

Design Conept.

Creating a bridge between St Catherines Park and Lucan Demesne Park, enhancing the connection of biodiversity in the landscape and the connection of people and communities.

Redesigning the entrance to the park, whereby an exiting link is made between the public and the park along with the River Liffey. It will aim to encourage interaction with the river and landscape surrounding.

NMP - Through the Gap

Fig. 9

NMP - Memorial Bridge

Fig. 10

SHEMA - Honfleur Normandy Outlet

Fig. 11

N

igel Mongomery and Partners aimed to “Connect, Conserve and Enhance Existing Character”, in the linear park at the Hedgerow Hotel.

An important part of the design was connecting the communities with eachother and with nature, creating a sense of place.

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his memorial bridge design was entered in an RIAI design competition in partnership with the OPW. The design connected the National War Memorial Gardens on the South Bank of the River Liffey with Pheonix Park on the North. The aim was to connect a divided landscape which is a concept integral to this project.

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HEMA designed a car park in Normandy, France which used permeable surfaces to distinguish parking spaces and planing in rows to help with drainage. This would be sustainable and attracting way of managing water pollution and creating interest in the park through its entrance.

Fig. 1 - www.mapbox.com

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Fig. 2 - www.earth.google.com

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Fig. 3 - www.floodinfo.ie

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Fig. 4 - www.floodinfo.com

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Fig. 5 - www.cadmapper.com

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Fig. 6 - www.cadmapper.com

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Fig. 7 - www.earth.google.com

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Fig. 8 - www. earth.google.com

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Fig. 9 - www.nmparchitecture.com

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Fig. 10 - www.nmparchitecture.com

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Fig. 11 - www.http://www.compagniedupaysage.com

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