The Parking reshuffle – The Leinster Lawn restored!

Earlier this year, Martin Manseragh T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW announced that the Oireachtas would not be going ahead with the planned underground car park on the site of the previous Leinster Lawn.  The Leinster Lawn had been turned into a “temporary” street parking location since the early 2000s for deputies to leave their cars while on Oireachtas business. However it made the Merrion square side of the national parliament look completely out of shape and character with the area. Subsequent to that, the “temporary” planning permission for the Leinster lawn car park had run out and so in order for the Oireachtas to not to be in breach of its own planning laws, the Leinster lawn would have to be re-seeded.

That was earlier this year – and I have been looking forward to the beginning of the works since – that is every time I walked past and saw ugly black tarmac biting into grassy verges.

Until today that is……

During lunch when I walked by, the ugly black tarmac is gone as are the white lined rectangular parking spots. No longer are they black and white street light poles visible in the middle of the parking area sending out horrible yellow light that casts terrible dank shadows on the lawns and the buildings. The Green shoots of recovery are slowly making their way back to the surface after a decade or more of being in the dark and I for one am delighted that the Lawn is returning to its former glory.

A silly little ray of sunshine some may argue in this current times, but all the more important to recognise that life does indeed go on.