Clonburris SDZ Placemaking Masterplan

Clonburris represents one of the most significant planned urban extensions within the Dublin Metropolitan Area. Working on behalf of Cairn Homes, MOLA Architecture prepared a comprehensive Placemaking and Public Realm Masterplan for Seven Mills, a 96-hectare development area located within the wider Strategic Development Zone. With capacity for over 5,000 new homes, the masterplan establishes a structured framework for distinctive character areas, placemaking, soft mobility, sustainability, public realm delivery and the long-term stewardship of place.

Informed by the SDZ Planning Scheme and the original urban design framework, the strategy articulates how new residential neighbourhoods, schools and community facilities will be arranged around a civic heart and a series of connected parks and greenways, while leveraging major public transport corridors and the amenity of the Grand Canal. The Placemaking Masterplan was completed in 2022, and its first implementation review was undertaken in 2025.

The masterplan defines placemaking principles, pedestrian movement hierarchies, landscape infrastructure, and spatial typologies to guide development. It also considers how identity, legibility and everyday social life can grow gradually as the new neighbourhood develops.

A parallel project led by MOLA examined the role of the Grand Canal and the emerging park network as strategic public assets. This included structured stakeholder engagement with agencies and landowners (including Waterways Ireland), supported by workshops, site walks and scenario testing. The process informed a published report setting out a canal masterplan with proposed access improvements, towpath continuity, ecological enhancement and opportunities for leisure and active travel.