With a strong emphasis on pedestrians, the plan envisages widened pavements and new threshold spaces to the front of the Iveagh Market and St Nicholas de Myra Church. The current awkward widening and narrowing of the carriageway will give way to a consistent width and measures to reduce speeds and allow for more relaxed cycling and easier crossing.  Changes to car parking and loading arrangements, 20 new street trees and landscaped areas, sustainable urban drainage measures (SUDs), new street lighting, street furniture and utilities will all serve to create a much improved street and establish Francis Street as a destination.

In the 17th century, many of the houses were "Dutch Billys" [redbrick, gabled-fronted houses, familiar to anyone who has ever visited the Netherlands] but by the middle of the 19th century the street was full of small shops, including many family operated groceries shops as well as a number of dairies. Unfortunately by 1900 the street was effectively a slum as most houses had become multi-occupancy tenements.

By the middle of the 20th century Francis Street had become more commercial and industrial and acted as a base for many manufacturers of furniture, beds, cabinets, sheet metal products and shirts. In the late 1990s the antiques trade began relocating to Francis Street from the city quays and up until recently the street had [maybe still has] the highest concentration of antique dealers in Ireland.