Minister Costello welcomes stimulus funding for DIT campus at Grangegorman

17 July 2012

by Cllr Joe Costello

Minister Joe Costello has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, of funding for a new campus for the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) at Grangegorman. The funding is part of the more than €2 billion stimulus package announced by the Government today.

Minister Costello said "When I visited Grangegorman last Friday with Minister Howlin, he was able to see for himself the tremendous potential of the Grangegorman site and the extensive preparations that have already been made under the direction of his colleague the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn".

Minister Costello continued "This is the most exciting project in the city of Dublin for very many years".

The Grangegorman project involves the relocation of the remaining mental health patients in St. Brendan's Hospital, Grangegorman, into a new purpose built facility on an adjacent 20 acre site. The construction of the new facility is well underway, and it is expected that it will be completed and the patients transferred to it by the end of the year.

The second and more substantial part of the Grangegorman project is the relocation of over 20,000 students and 2,000 staff from 39 separate locations across the city to a new 73 acre DIT campus on the Grangegorman site. The first phase of development will start immediately, with the renovation of the existing buildings on the site. This will be followed by a ten-year program of major construction works 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. The project will integrate the local community into the campus, with new parkland, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, children's playgrounds, and a second-level school.

The project will be labour intensive, and to ensure that the local community benefits from it, the DIT has agreed a 20% local employment clause. People from the local areas of Cabra and the North Inner City seeking employment will be able to apply online at http://www.ggda.ie/recruitment.html.

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. 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. Moreover, this flagship project will boost the north side of the city. It will help to regenerate the local and national economy and should provide significant local employment during the construction phase and when the project is complete.