DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has announced new €80 million plans to pedestrianise College Green, costing eight times more than originally projected.

The council is keen to gather feedback from members of the public about their thoughts on the “compelling” new feature which forms part of the College Green Dame St Public Realm Project which aims to prioritise accessibility and greening.

The project team is aiming for completion by next year, pending plans by the National Transport Authority to redesign Dublin’s bus services which will involve redirecting bus routes away from College Green.

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The idea to remove all buses and cars from the iconic area in front of Trinity College was originally tabled in 2017 at a significantly lower cost of €10 million.

Those plans, however, were rejected by An Bord Pleanála which cited safety concerns around pedestrian and cyclist conflicts.

It also took into consideration the likelihood of “significant and negative” impacts arising in the area of general traffic, bus transport, bus passengers and car parks.

The revised plans are “significantly broader in scope, scale and ambition” than the initial project proposed eight years ago, according to DCC.

The preliminary estimate of project cost comes in at €80 million, subject to budget review.

It says planning is at a very early stage as extensive consultation gets underway with a wide range of stakeholders to help shape the design.

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The pedestrianisation of the area would add to an increasing number of roads being considered for closing off to vehicles for the benefit of consumer footfall in the capital.

The council recently announced that vehicles would be removed from Parliament Street will be available to pedestrians only by next Friday, 4 July, extending the pedestrianisation of the adjoining Capel Street directly across the Grattan Bridge.

Similar plans were in place for South William Street since 2022, but Green Party councillor Claire Byrne last year said that the trigger was yet to be pulled due to the street being “under the chokehold” of the nearby Grafton Car Park.