Captain’s Hill from Main Street to Leixlip House Hotel

West Side

K It should be noted that the pavement treatment from Alvitos at the corner of Main Street up to the Leixlip House Hotel is inconsistent and poorly considered. The
finished treatment of this section of the pavement, alignment, levels and placement of utilities (i.e., telephone and litterbins) should be carefully considered to allow for
the safe movement of pedestrians and to improve the appearance of Captains Hill.

P Tuthills Newsagents have made considerable improvements to the shopfront since the 1995 Town Improvement Study. The acrylic backlit lettering was replaced by a more traditional style. Sections of the
ground level of the façade detail remain incomplete. The aluminium door to the Liffey Champion office should be replaced with a timber one.

The single storey and dormer retail units, while relatively modern, have a traditional scale and finish which contribute to the character of the street. The roofline is
stepped up the hill.

P The roller shutters on these units should be
removed, or replaced on the inside of the glass and display area. The owners should be encouraged to provide a shopfront of traditional scale, proportion and material, which would reflect the character of the street.

P The Leixlip House Hotel is an attractive cut-stone building which marks the extent of the commercial Town Centre. On occasions, the hotel generates parking which conflicts with the residential use of Carraig Dubh.

East Side

P The timber-clad building facing south forms a triangular space between the street and the adjacent building. A re-design of this building and the external area directly adjacent would greatly improve the view of Captains Hill from the lower end of the street, and could ease pedestrian movement.

P The buildings on the east side of Captains Hill are two-storey neo-Georgian mixed use buildings with plaster quoins and a pitched parapet roof. These building create a good sense of enclosure with the streetscape. The first floor windows are timber top-hung with a
vertical emphasis, in keeping with the character of a traditional streetscape. The owners of the buildings should be encouraged to remove the external roller shutter, or place any necessary security shutters behind the glazing and window display.

The gap between the two terraces is used to access parking to the rear. The entrance to this car park should be better defined with landscaping and, possibly, piers to form a greater sense of enclosure.

The existing car park to the rear of these buildings provides a great opportunity to develop the town’s commercial centre and to add parking facilities central to the town. Any development should allow for improved
pedestrian and vehicular access. It should also take into account the possibility of a public pedestrian link to extend from Captains Hill to Silleachain Lane.

P The owner of the building formerly Albany Paints should be encouraged to actively seek to let the building.