Dublin City Council has announced the development of a new 'Cultural Toolkit' resource and guidance for property developers which will be published this Spring.

The toolkit is designed to support developers fulfil new requirements under the Dublin City Development Plan. Masterplans or statutory plans prepared for lands over 2 hectares that were previously zoned for industrial purposes and are now identified for mixed use, must include dedicated locations at the design stage for cultural uses.

Every new regeneration area (SDRA) and large-scale development spanning over 10,000 sq. m. must, at a minimum, allocate 5 per cent of their total area for community, arts and cultural spaces during the design phase.

The Toolkit offers foundational elements to steer the process of cultural infrastructure delivery by recognising and addressing genuine needs, crafting designs for specific cultural purposes and choosing sustainable delivery models beneficial for both developers and operators.

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At the Building Culture event hosted by the Council, details of the new toolkit were announced. The event aimed to foster collaboration between key stakeholders in the Arts and Culture sector and the Development industry in Dublin.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste, speaking at the event said: "Culture is the lifeblood of Dublin. We need to provide for a vibrant and sustainable cultural sector and to cater for future population growth in a way that keeps culture at te heart of our communities."

Ray Yeates, City Arts Officer, Dublin City Council, stated: "As we build new housing and offices in a growing Dublin we will have to have new theatres, galleries, concert halls not to mention studios and other critical infrastructure for Artists and their communities. Property Developers, Dublin City Council and Arts Organisations have a new opportunity to work together with this toolkit under the new Dublin City Development Plan."

Participants heard from speakers detailing stories of cultural infrastructure delivery in other European cities, while local speakers from Dublin also demonstrated the progress the Council has made in developing new space for culture and spearheading the implementation of this policy.