A group tasked with finding ways to improve Dublin city centre has recommended that the GPO be redeveloped as a major public building with a greater public function.
It is one of a number of recommendations to revitalise O'Connell Street contained in the report of the Dublin City Centre Taskforce which was brought before the Cabinet this morning.
Last November, the Dublin riots brought the issue of safety in the capital and the condition of Dublin city centre to the top of the political agenda.
In May of this year, the Taoiseach announced the appointment of a taskforce to try to make Dublin a more attractive and safe city, saying its social and cultural character had changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The group, chaired by An Post CEO David McRedmond, included input from gardaí, Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority.
The report, which was presented to the Government last month, was brought before Cabinet and contains ten major initiatives to revive the city centre, with recommendations on the revitalisation of O’Connell Street and a particular focus on the former An Post headquarters at the GPO.
The taskforce said it should be redeveloped as a major public building with a decision on its future to be made by next spring.
Proposals were made to the taskforce for the GPO to be used as a museum, a Government department or as a place to relocate the national broadcaster RTÉ.
The group did not make a determination, but said the regeneration of the O’Connell Street area should be managed by a special programme.
It also said that a "step change" is needed in how the area is developed.
Housing, policing, waste management and culture are also covered by the report.
It is expected the Government will establish an interdepartmental group overseen by the Department of the Taoiseach to report back by the end of the year.
The full report of the taskforce is due to be published next week.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he hoped the recommendations could make Dublin the very best that it can be.
"When I became Taoiseach, I made it a personal commitment that I wanted to put in place a task force to look at how we could rejuvenate and regenerate Dublin city centre.
"This is a great city, but we also know it's a city that's changed since Covid, as lots of capital cities have, and I think it's time now to say, what more can we do? How can we make Dublin the very best city that it is possible to be? And I'm really pleased that we bring that report to Cabinet today.
"We'll publish it in the next couple of days, and there'll be an action plan and an implementation structure to go alongside that."
Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman said he hopes that the recommendations will be implemented as soon as possible.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet, the minister said he hoped that the recommendations would make Dublin a "liveable city".
"My understanding is that we'll be looking to implement the recommendations as soon as possible.
"One of the things that I welcome is that focus on making Dublin a liveable city, and actually bringing people back into our city centre to make sure there are communities living there ... that it's not just this dormitory city where everyone works but then leaves and it's abandoned at night, but that there is a vibrant community there all the time."
Additional reporting Carla O'Brien
