Green light sought for Grangegorman quads

PLANNING applications have been lodged with Dublin City Council for two major developments in the Grangegorman campus.

The Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) is seeking permission for two major Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) academic buildings in the latest stage of the massive Northside development.

Separate applications have been submitted to the council for the Central and East Quads of the project, which is transforming the Dublin 7 area into a unified campus for DIT and a new urban quarter for the city.

The applications will be considered under the site’s designation as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ), which effectively fast-tracks major planning projects.

When the two quads are completed there will be a total of 11,000 students and members of staff based on the campus. The timing of the applications is designed so completion of the quads will coincide with the opening of the Luas Cross City line, which will serve the campus.

The Central Quad incorporates cutting edge facilities for a total of ten DIT schools from the Colleges of Science, Health, Arts & Tourism, and Engineering.

It will also have an element of public and industry engagement with space for the delivery of conferences with a particular emphasis on the sciences.

The Central Quad will be located in the west of the Grangegorman campus, adjacent to what will become the Academic Hub of the new Urban Quarter and close to the North Circular Road entrance.

The East Quad will be a centre of excellence for: Creative Arts; Media; the Conservatory of Music and Drama; and Social Sciences, Languages and Law.

It will also form part of the vision for a wider

‘Social and Cultural Heart’ of the DIT Grangegorman campus, alongside the Student Hub.

The East Quad will be located close to the LUAS stop at Broadstone and will provide opportunities for exhibitions, music and drama performances.

The GDA’s vision is to create a space that will showcase the talent of students and staff at DIT and invite the public to engage with the new Urban Quarter.

The GDA, in collaboration with DIT and the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), has worked over the last two years to define detailed specifications of both quads.

The construction of the two quads is expected to take two years to complete once permission gets the go-ahead.

During this time up to 1,000 new jobs will be created in addition to further investment in the urban regeneration of the Grangegorman area.