A Vision for Garristown

Type: SMART Village Plan

Project Team: Islander, New Practice & Civic Engineers

Client: Garristown SMART Village Group & Garristown Community Council

Location: Garristown, Co. Dublin

Stage: Ongoing

A street corner with a stone building on the right, a white house with a rusty roof and yellow door on the left, and a small shop selling supplies with a red awning. The sky is mostly clear with some clouds, and there are trees and parked cars in the background.
View of ancient stone ruins with arched windows, ancient weathered stone walls, greenery, and bright sunny sky.
A detailed black and white historical map of Garrisstown, showing roads, fields, and landmarks like a windmill and a church, with various numbered plots and ancient boundary lines.

A Vision for Garristown is an invitation to the community who live, work or visit Garristown regularly to come together and engage in the development of a shared community vision for the future of this rural village.

The task is to build on, and enhance the existing strengths and assets identified by the community through creative thinking, and by embracing innovation to create a desirable place for people to live and work in Garristown.

In creating a community vision, local groups, businesses and individuals have the potential to overcome local challenges by exploring and implementing practical and tangible solutions.

Cover of community survey report with line drawings of historic buildings on colorful watercolor backgrounds, and text about a community vision for Garristown.
Map of a town showing streets, buildings, and various marked locations with different colored symbols like pink stars, blue crosses, and yellow highlights.
A group of people sitting around a banquet table in a meeting room, listening to a presentation being given by two men at the front of the room. There are presentation slides projected onto a screen, and some whiteboards on the sides. The room is lit with pinkish-red lighting.

Islander Architects are leading a multi-disciplinary team of consultants who were selected through a competitive tender and appointed by the Garristown Vision Team and the Garristown Community Council.

The methodology for the preparation of a community vision is based on the ‘Smart Villages’ concept that originated as a European Union initiative.

The consultant team includes Islander Architects alongside an exciting partnership with New Practice and Civic Engineers.

A church with stone walls and gothic windows, on a sunny day with a partially cloudy blue sky, surrounded by green grass and a large pine tree.
Colorful flyer with a drawing of a church and text inviting people to share their vision, strengths, and challenges for Garristown, encouraging community input.
Entrance to the Carnegie Free Library building with a stone arch marker reading '1912 Carnegie Free Library' above the door. The black door has a small sign that says 'Open' and another sign that says 'Oscailet'.
A group of people walking through a lush, green outdoor area with tall trees and wildflowers under a partly cloudy sky.

It is important that potential strategic interventions to Garristown, as a result of the Community Vision, are reflective of the capacity and needs identified through the community survey and engagement events.

The consultant team will use their experience, skill and judgement to analyse the feedback gathered from the community to propose potential action areas. Together these action areas will form a vision for Garristown that is community-led, positive, achievable and feasible.

The emphasis of this Community Vision is to target actions that are achievable within a period of months, either through community fundraising or potential applications for funding support from other agencies as well as the local authority.

Map of a small town with streets, buildings, and surrounding fields, outlined with a red border.
A person with long braided hair wearing a navy and white striped sweater is observing posters on a beige wall.
A white building with a blue trim and a sloped roof, featuring a mural of a soccer player hanging from a banner that reads 'Welcome to Garristown G.F.C.', with a small, leafless tree in front, under a clear blue sky.
Children standing in a line outdoors, holding clipboards and writing with pens.
A survey or report page with questions about what makes Garristown pride and its strengths, followed by quotes highlighting community aspects like friendliness, greenery, rural character, heritage, and community support. It also presents key community issues ranked by importance, such as economic development, access to services, opportunities for youth, community events, digital services, sustainability, and tourism.

Drawings & Images: Islander & New Practice

Photography: Islander Architects

Funded by: Dublin Rural LEADER