This page highlights Kieran’s career as a senior planner with Dublin City Council.
More material on issues of diversity, equality and economic development are available on www.eoin-collins.ie.
2025
Cork Street/Liberties ‘Greening’ Mock-ups [images]
This neat resources showcases the potential, as seen by Kieran, for the Cork Street/Liberties area of Dublin city as substantial development continues.
2025
Cork Street Quaker Burial Site – List of Articles [document]
This resource doument represents a compendium of media reports of the Quaker Burial Ground etc since 2019.
Kieran has been a leading advocate for this (and other) forgotten historic places since his retirement from Dublin City Council (DCC) in 2018.
There is renewed progress on DCC taking over management of the Burial Ground and another housing body taking on the Weir Home.
2024
Cork Street Resource [document]
A detailed resource document drafted by Kieran to accompany his records on the Cork Street Corridor sent to the Irish Architectural Archive.
September 2023 (FOI) and 2015/2016
Criticism of the Reduction in Apartment Standards, December 2015
Records, provided under the Freedom of Information Act, highlighting email correspondence between Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG) officials in response to criticism by Kieran of the reduction in apartment standards.
Kieran was (and remains) a vocal critic of the severe reduction in apartment standards dating back to 2007 when he was the senior planner responsible for drafting DCC’s standards. This reduction was supported by private property industry stakeholders including the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).
Following Kieran’s contribution to an Irish Times article on 22 December 2015 responding critically to the reduction is satndards entitled ‘Studio apartments: Minister defends rules reducing size‘ wherein he described the then Minister (for Housing) as being ‘bamboozled by [a] coterie of ‘powerful vested property interests’, DCC issued a press statement on the same date (see below) disowning Kieran.
The original IT article was followed up the next day (23 December 2015) with another featuring another DCC planner and author (and good friend of Kierans) Paul Kearns entitled ‘Building smaller homes could create ghettos of the future, says expert‘.
- DCC press statement (22 December 2015)
- DCC / DECLG email correspondence (December 2015)
- Business Post journalist correspondence with Dublin City Council (February 2016)
- Decision letter (13 September 2023)
- Schedule of records (13 September 2023)
March 2022
Cork Street Fever Hospital [Video]
Kieran is joined by Megan Brien, design and architectural historian to reveal a unique insight into the design philosophy of a nineteenth century healthcare facility built to deal with many epidemics that ravaged Dublin city. The Cork Street Fever Hospital and House of Recovery c1804 is a hugely important part of the history of Dublin now mostly forgotten. It closed in 1953 and moved to Cherry Orchard (Dublin), it is now known as Brú Chaoimhin and run by Health Service Executive (HSE).
Kieran started a campaign to highlight the historic importance of this place and for the HSE to treat it with proper respect and care.
This film was produced for the Irish Architecture Foundation by Dyehouse Films.
September/October 2019 & July 2021
‘Dublin Burial Grounds‘ [Article] and ‘Grave Markings and Headstones in Quaker Burial Grounds and the Quaker Burial Ground in Cork Street, Dublin in particular‘ [Article].
Article (1) published in the Quaker periodical ‘The Friendly Word’ (September/October 2019 edition). Authored by Roy Pearson and Christopher Moriarty of the Friends Historical Library.
Article (2) includes diagrams and maps showing where the gravestones are placed and a chart on whom they commemorate. Authored by Roy Pearson of the Friends Historical Library.
2020
Stephen’s Green Quaker Burial site [Article]
Article by Roy Pearson examining the transfer of the Stephen’s Green Quaker burial grounds to Cork Street, Dublin c1805 (re-emphasising the importance of the Cork Street Burial Ground).
December 2019
Quaker Burial Ground Cork Street: How to Restore, Commemorate, and Celebrate a Historic Place, a Part of Our Cultural Heritage [Interactive Resource]
Kieran authored this resource document following his retirement from DCC in 2018 as part of his taking a more active and public role in panning issues and environmental quality and conservation in the Liberties area of Dublin.
November 2019
Some Vacant and Derelict Sites in the Liberties not on either Vacant Sites Register or Derelict Sites Register [Report]
A historical report drafted by Kieran. Motivated by the number of derelict or vacant sites in Dublin’s Liberties, with Dublin City Council reluctant to place many properties on the relevant registers, Kieran drafted this comprehensive report to draw attention to the issue. Many of the sites and properties included have since been (re)developed.
June 2019
Former Quaker Burial Ground Cork Street: Survey and Maintenance Plan [Report]
Report by Rob Goodbody commissioned by the Health Services Executive (HSE) in association with the National Monuments Service and Dublin City Council.
December 2018
Review of ‘Truly Frank’.
An image of Kieran’s review of Frank McDonald’s memoir ‘Truly Frank’ in Architecture Ireland, Journal of the RIAI, December 2018
2018
Opinion: Civil servants must be able to speak out and question public policy [Article]
An OpEd written by Kieran arguing that public servants have a duty to voice their concerns in public, in some cases.
2018
The Destruction and Reconstruction of a City Street, The Cork Street Corridor [Report]
An important update report written by Kieran on the issue of the development of Cork Street, Dublin.
2018
Placemaking, Innovation and Dublin 8 [Report]
The report was written by Kieran for Dublin City Council. It discusses placemaking and innovation in Dublin 8, known as the Liberties. It notes that improving quality of place is crucial for economic success and attracting investment. Significant progress has been made through new parks, public realm improvements, and resolving derelict sites. However, further improvements are needed, such as completing greening strategies, improving key vacant and dilapidated sites, adding street trees and bike stations. Recommendations include prioritizing redevelopment of large vacant sites, removing traffic lanes from High Street, and improving pedestrian connectivity throughout the area. Overall, the Liberties has great potential as a center for innovation but requires additional public domain upgrades to realize its economic and social benefits.
January 2017
IHREC Submission re Consultation on the Dublin City Council Parks Strategy [Letter]
As Commissioner of IHREC, Kieran, wth IHREC Chief Commissioner Emily Logan, helped draft this submission to Dublin City Council.
The detailed submission referred to, among other things, Article 31 of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child setting out the Right to Play, underscoring the requirement of public boides to have regard to human rights and equality in carrying out their functons (“Positive Duty”).
Kieran would provide several presentations on spatial justice and the role of Positive Duty to UCD and DIT (Later TU Dublin) planning students.
Positive Duty would later be included in the DCC Development Plan and merger legislation (Equality Authority and the IHRC) thanks to Kieran’s efforts.
March 2016
Kieran Rose speaking at the Cork launch of his Seanad Éireann campaign on the NUI panel [Speech]
In this speech, Kieran officially launches his campaign and details his motivation to seek election to Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate).
The event was held at the Firkin Centre in Cork on 21st March 2016.
March 2016
Told to be quiet, a Planner Launches Bid for the Seanad [Article]
In this article by Lois Kapila, Kieran explains his motivations in standing for election to Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate).
March 2014
Proposed Vacant Land Levy [Presentaton]
This presentation was in support of the Dublin Lord Mayor’s (Oisín Quinn) Taskforce on the proposed levy. Despite strong opposition from the property development and construction sector, the Levy was introduced as part of of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015.
Kieran authored this study to feed into the Taskforce in his role as Senior Planner with the Office of Economy and International Relations, Dublin City Council.
September 2013
Property has its Duties as well as its Rights – Proposed Vacant Land Levy: Anatomy of an Ongoing Campaign [Article]
Kieran authored this study (book article) and also wrote the Memorandum to Government.
September 2011
Globalisation, Diversity and Economic Renewal [Invitation]
An invitation to a joint breakfast discussion event hosted by Dublin City Council (DCC) and GLEN. Kieran was one of the panelists.
The event was held in the Wood Quay Venue in Dublin City Council offices, Dublin.
May 2011
OPENCities Lunchtime Seminar leaflet ‘Food: The Enterprise and Innovation Potential of Food Entrepreneurs from other Countries‘ [Leaflet]
A leaflet / discussion document by Kieran on his favourite topics of cities, urbanism, diversity and food!
The seminar was held on 4 May 2011 in a vacant shop in what was the Creation Arcade on Duke Street, Dublin.
March 2011
Food and the City [Discussion document]
A discussion document by Kieran on the role of food in city design.
June 2008
Diversity Powering Successful Cities [OpEd]
OpEd by Kieran for the Irish Times (19 June 2008) underscoring the importance of creative workers and a tolerant society in creating economic value.
2008
Planning reports on the Military Road/St. John’s Road application, Dublin [Reports]
Kieran’s planning reports on the Military Road application (the ‘HeustonGate’ development) that included the 32-storey tower designed by Paul Keogh Architects and the Clarence Hotel application. This shows the connection between Kieran’s approach to planning and LGBT issues.
December 2007
Variation No. 21 to the Dublin City Development Plan 2005-2011 Adapted Wording [Resource]
Kieran wrote the amendment to the then Development Plan adding a section ‘Achieving Livable Sustainable New Apartment Homes‘. This standards would later be reduced by Government policy in December 2015, a move criticised heavily by Kieran in the media (see above).
November 2007
Diversity Powering Dublin’s Success [Report]
GLEN publication highlighting the link between diversity / tolerance and economic success. Based on a talk given by Kieran at a Dublin conference featuring Richard Florida, author of the ‘Rise of the Creative Class’.
2006
Cork Street: Creating a City Street [Article]
Article by Kieran in ‘Architecture Ireland’, the journal of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland referring to the first phase of the (then proposed) reconstruction of Cork Street, Dublin.
2005
Imaging the Street, The Cork Street Corridor Volume 2, DCC [Article]
Kieran wrote an introduction to this publication.
2003
Cork Street (Dublin) Environmental Improvement Strategy [the ‘Mitchell Study’] [Report]
Appointed Senior Planner in Dublin City Council for the Liberties area of Dublin in 2002, Kieran was (and remains) a committed advocate of the Cork Street corridor, writing passionately about its dereliction after the road widening scheme.
This study by Mitchell and Associates Landscape Architects in made various proposals for public domain improvements or “environmental rehabilitation” as it was described.
A separate drawing was produced by Mitchell and Associates in 2003 for DCC showing their proposals for landscape improvements.
2003
Use Strategy for Newmarket: Discussion Paper [Report]
Study authored by Kieran and Georg Werdermann proposed a range of possible new uses and events for Newmarket (Cork Street area, Dublin 8) to reintegrate it into the public life of Dublin city.
2002
Cork Street, Dublin after road widening [Photo montage]
Cork Street (Dublin 8) in a disastrous state after road widening in 2002, and following 50 years of destruction and neglect from Dublin Corporation / Dublin City Council.
1998
Extract from 1998 Dublin Corporation Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Cork Street/The Coombe Relief Route [Report]
As a senior planner in Dublin City Council, a key passion of Kieran’s was (and is) the rejuvenation of Cork Street/The Coombe, Dublin.
At that time, there was huge opposition local and citywide to the Road Widening scheme, from Students Against the Destruction of Dublin, An Taisce and others. The opposition of the Cork Street Residents Association and others was pivotal.
As noted by Kieran, there was opposition to the “suburban style dual carriageway severing communities”, with a continuous central median as in Clanbrassil Street. The continuous central median proposal was dropped allowing for right turning traffic movements. However, today there are many sections of the route where a tree planted median can be provided without blocking right turning movements.
This EIS is a valuable resource for the modern history of the area.
Kieran Rose 