THE SPOTLIGHT will be firmly on Dún Laoghaire for the next few weeks, what with this weekend’s Festival of World Cultures and its Mountains to Sea Book Festival from September 10th to 13th.

So it might be a good time to visit the County Hall on Marine Road to look at the plans for a Cultural Centre and Central Library that the council wants to build in Moran Park (the area adjacent to the Pavilion, between the Royal Marine hotel and the Metals, with the bowling green and overgrown pond behind it).

The seafront at Dún Laoghaire has long been a contentious matter, with long-running rows over the future of the disused ferry terminal and the East Pier to Sandycove baths site. But it’s likely that there’ll be a broad welcome for the developments on the Pavilion side of the street: the council is building a linear park on top of the railway line next to the cafés and restaurants – it should be finished by January.

The proposed library and cultural centre, designed by architects Carr Cotter and Naessens, would be a major addition to the town, including an art gallery, meeting rooms, music library with practice facilities, performance space and more, as well as serving as library HQ for the county. It’s on display in the town hall from 10am to 4pm until September 21st (as well as at the council’s Dundrum office).

The East Pier to Sandycove baths site remains to be decided.