A Dublin city centre laneway that is being shut off to the public is “just totally and utterly out of control”, according to a former Lord Mayor.
Dublin City Council (DCC) last night voted to close off Harbour Court – a T-Junction-shaped lane linking Abbey Street, Marlborough Street and the Quays.
Some businesses have been calling for the lane to be shut down for more than a decade due to drug use, dumping and anti-social behaviour.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Dublin Councillor and former Lord Mayor Nial Ring admitted that the closure could be seen as ‘surrendering’ to anti-social behaviour – but insisted authorities, “have to take a reality check and live in the real world”.
“This lane is … about half the length of O'Connell believe or not and it links from where the Luas stop on Abbey Street is right out onto the boardwalk, so that makes it an absolute magnet for anti-social behaviour,” he said.
“I've been down that lane a good few times in my time but of late, when you go down there, if you want to see drug dealing, if you want to see prostitution, if you want to see open toilets, if you want to see needles all over the place, that's the place to go.
“It’s just totally and utterly out of control and I feel sorry for Dublin City Council staff who have to go and clean it, Dublin Town staff who have to go and clean it.”
Harbour Court in Dublin city centre, 22-07-2023. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNewsCllr Ring claimed the laneway “doesn’t really serve any purpose” other than as a shortcut between the Quays and Abbey Street and insisted the closure highlights the reality of policing in the capital at the moment.
“The Gardaí they haven't got the resources to patrol O'Connell Street so what chance have we got that they could, in any way, patrol a lane that has unfortunately, three ways in and three ways out,” he said.
“You can go in, do your drug deal and hop on the Luas or do your drug deal and run onto the boardwalk and disappear there.
“Closing off lanes in the city centre doesn't sit well with us and if you recall, Dublin Town had a fantastic scheme a few years ago, reimagining laneways like the one between Mabbott Lane, between Talbot Street and Marlborough Street - put a mural on the wall and cleaned it up and kept an eye on it - but that’s a short lane.
“This lane is a few hundred yards long and it's just one of those that, you know, unfortunately, it's just a magnet for all that sort of behaviour.”
In other areas of the city, DCC is piloting a programme aimed at encouraging business owners to turn their properties "laneway facing" in a bid to discourage criminal behaviour and increase footfall.
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Main image shows Harbour Court in Dublin city centre, 22-07-2023. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews
