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Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 Oct 2001

Vol. 168 No. 8

Adjournment Matters. - Institutes of Technology.

The question of when the Dublin Institute of Technology can occupy the lands at Grangegorman and establish its campus there is becoming a hoary chestnut. When the Dublin Institute of Technology was established in 1991, it began to look for a campus to consolidate the existing faculties. As the Minister of State is aware, the Dublin Institute of Technology operates its six faculties on ten acres of land spread across the city, north and south. In 1992, it identified Collins Barracks as a suitable campus. It was due to become available when the last vestiges of the Army located there pulled out. The Dublin Institute of Technology felt it would provide a fine campus, but it went instead to the National Museum which was crying out for accommodation at the time.

Subsequently, the Dublin Institute of Technology searched around and identified St. Brendan's in Grangegorman where the Eastern Health Board was divesting itself of many of the institutional care buildings as some patients were moved into the community. Approximately 70 acres of land were surplus to the needs of the health board and the Dublin Institute of Technology considered acquiring them. It appears an agreement with the health board was reached, in principle, for the transfer of the land for approximately £10 million. Plans and designs were drawn up and the Dublin Institute of Technology presented them to the community on a number of occasions. It explained that it would be a good neighbour in the Grangegorman-Stoneybatter-Oxmantown area. It indicated how it intended to move in to the faculties, starting with the music faculty.

It planned to build an auditorium, which would be available to the local community for functions. It was also intended that buildings for student accommodation would be among the first to be constructed. The Grangegorman lands are adjacent to Bolton Street college and Linen Hall and could be quickly linked to the faculty. The opening of the Broadstone Luas station would also make it an ideal area for public transport, enabling easy access for students. One of the important selling points for the community was access to the sports and recreational facilities in the Grangegorman area for locals.

Everything seemed fine. Unfortunately, that is how it has remained ever since. An interdepartmental committee was recently established by the Government to consider the matter, but this is a delaying mechanism. The cost of the land has escalated and everything is in the air in terms of what will happen. We have been assured all along that the Dublin Institute of Technology will get the land and that the campus will be constructed there. Some of the land may be put to other uses by the Department of Health and Children, but at this stage everybody's patience has been exhausted.

Time is running out for the Government. I am concerned that a decision will not be made or that this area will be taken up by big business for major property development because it is the last open space in the city. It would be great if we could have a decision on the matter which would confirm the situation once and for all. I look forward to hearing about the position and I hope the matter will be resolved.

An interdepartmental committee was established in May 2001 on this matter on foot of a Government decision. The terms of reference of this committee are to examine how the Grangegorman site can best be developed to achieve Government policy priorities in meeting education and social service needs and in tackling construction industry capacity constraints. This will be done in a way which takes into account the overall development of Dublin and leverages the strategic location and commercial potential of the site to attract private involvement on a PPP basis, having particular regard to the following: access by Dublin Institute of Technology at the earliest possible date to facilities needed for apprenticeship training, with site occupation as from the academic year 2001-02; provision on a staged basis over the longer term of modern campus facilities needed by Dublin Institute of Technology in the context of Government policy for third level education as a whole; provision in the short-term, as part of the package, of non-acute units needed by the ERHA, on part of the campus, but also on other sites in the region, taking account of the investment in kind by the authority; arrangements to afford the local community access to playing field facilities on the campus; integration of the proposed campus development with Luas and other relevant public transport provision and an approach to financing that includes leverage of the site's strategic location and commercial potential to lessen the burden on the Exchequer and avoid circular transfer of funds between Votes.

Membership of the working group includes representatives of the ERHA, the Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin Corporation, the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science, the Environment and Local Government, Public Enterprise, Finance and the Taoiseach. I understand that the group should be able to complete its work and submit a report to the Government in the near future. The working group report will be made available publicly.

The Grangegorman site is of strategic importance in the context of Dublin as a whole. My Department is working with the other Departments and agencies represented on the working group to ensure that its strategic location and potential is unlocked to best meet the Government's objectives in the provision of high quality health and education services. I am confident this will be done while, at the same time, facilitating access by the local community to sporting facilities. I thank the Senator again for giving me the opportunity to outline the current position to the House.

Will the report be ready this side of Christmas?

I do not have the answer to that. My information is that it will be available shortly. I will ask the Department to communicate further with the Senator on that issue.

The Seanad adjourned at 8.35 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 25 October 2001.

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