LONG-AWAITED work on the DIT campus at Grangegorman will get underway over the coming weeks following funding approval for the landmark project.
The massive Northside project, which has been on the table for over a decade, was the Government’s flagship announcement made as part of the E2.25 billion infrastructure stimulus package revealed last Tuesday (July 17).
The more substantial part of the Grangegorman project is the relocation of more than 20,000 students and 2,000 staff from 39 separate locations across the city to a new 73-acre DIT campus on the site.
As well as massive investment and improved infrastructure with the Luas BXD line, the project will also bring much-needed jobs to the area’s residents as DIT has agreed a 20 per cent local employment clause on the project.
The first phase of development has already started, with the renovation of existing buildings on the site.
This will be followed by a 10-year construction programme to provide accommodation, lecture halls, libraries, laboratories, and office and administration facilities for students and staff.
A significant part of the site will be reserved for recreational and amenity facilities with new parkland, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, children’s playgrounds and a second-level school.
The Grangegorman project also involves the relocation of the remaining mental health patients in St Brendan’s Hospital into a new purpose-built facility on an adjacent 20-acre site.
President of DIT, Professor Brian Norton, said he was delighted that real progress can now take place.
“Today’s exciting announcement means we can move quickly to make this project a reality,
? he stated after the news broke.
“There have been a number of false starts and disappointments before now, but this has meant that an intensive level of detailed planning has taken place and as a result we are absolutely ready to break ground today.
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Dr Paul Horan, head of campus planning for DIT, said that within a matter of weeks work would start on listed buildings on the site.
“We will be starting work on the refurbishment of some of the Victorian buildings on the site, bringing them into educational use and enabling us to vacate some buildings that are no longer fit for purpose,
? he stated.
The funding approval was also welcomed by many local representatives, including MEP Emer Costello (Lab) and Deputy Joe Costello (Lab) who have campaigned and been involved in plans for the project since it was first envisaged.
“A unified DIT campus at Grangegorman is terrific news for Irish education, for jobs and for Dublin city,
? said Ms Costello.
“A single campus is long-overdue and will help to make the DIT one of the finest third-level education institutions in the world.
“The 10-year construction phase will provide much-needed jobs and an enormous boost for the construction sector, with positive spin-off benefits for wider businesses, particularly in north inner city.
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Meanwhile, Deputy Joe Costello described the project as
“the most exciting project in the city of Dublin for very many years
?.
“The original Government decision to transfer DIT to Grangegorman was made in the 1990s, but unfortunately the project was delayed many times by the previous Government, even at times of economic prosperity,
? he stated.
“It is a sign of this Government’s commitment to education, urban development and employment that the resources have been found to fund this important educational facility.
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Dublin Central TD Pascal Donohoe (FG) said the Dublin 7 area and the Northside of the city has been
“crying out for an injection of new life for some time
?.
“What better way to revive an area than by bringing thousands of students to it?
? he said.
“I am extremely excited by this project and what it means for the future of the Northside of the city and for the DIT students who are soon to be accommodated in the new world-class facility.
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