Dublin City Council has confirmed the successful completion of a major element of the Rainscapes project at McAuley Park, Ribh Road and Lein Road in Harmonstown.

The project was delivered as part of a broader initiative aimed at improving the quality of surface water entering the Santry River by reducing polluted urban runoff from roads and footpaths.

The work focused on installing green infrastructure to manage rainwater on-site, helping to reduce the volume and speed of runoff entering the river system. Permeable surfaces and landscaped features have been used to temporarily store rainwater, allowing natural filtration of pollutants before the water makes its way to the Dodder and Santry rivers. This method reduces pressure on existing drainage infrastructure, improves water quality, and supports flood mitigation.

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Construction at the Harmonstown site is one of nine pilot locations identified by Dublin City Council within the Dodder and Santry catchment areas. These sites were selected to demonstrate how green infrastructure can be integrated into existing urban streetscapes. The performance of each site is being monitored to assess the effectiveness of different techniques in managing and treating surface water.

In addition to its engineering outcomes, the project has improved local green spaces and introduced biodiversity-friendly landscaping. Although designed primarily for water management, the regenerated areas also contribute to urban resilience and support the council’s environmental targets under the Water Framework Directive.

Funded jointly by Dublin City Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Rainscapes is currently one of the largest retrofitted nature-based infrastructure projects of its kind in Ireland and the UK. The council plans to use the insights gained from this pilot phase to inform the rollout of similar schemes in other locations.

Photo credit: Dublin City Council on X.