Some Dublin City councillors have recommended that planners refuse permission to Trinity College Dublin for its proposed new student centre. Councillors on the south east area committee are not happy with the College’s application for a 4,400sqm student facility in Luce Hall.
Dublin City Council has asked for more information from the College before it decides on a planning application for a new Student Centre in college. In a letter to the College’s architects, O’Donnell and Tuomey, from the Dublin City Council in response to the planning application the Council asks for a number of clarifications relating to draining and flood plans.
The application asks for permission to redevelop Luce Hall and 183 Pearse St in order to provide for a circa 4,400sqm student facility. According to the documents submitted to the Council the new student centre would include society rooms, a library, student bar, and gig venue.
The heritage body, An Taisce, welcomed Trinity’s proposal saying that it was an ‘important one on account of the prominence of the site within Trinity College and the city generally.’
It pointed the city’s planning regulations and noted that their ‘objective is to create a dynamic, mixed use, visually attractive, world-class city...’
The College did have its last application turned down by planners. The application was for permission to turn the building it owns on Foster Place into Dublin’s largest bar and restaurant.
This application was turned down after a number of objections from bar owners and heritage groups including An Taisce.
However, the latest application did not receive any objections from residents despite the councillors’ opposition.
Luce Hall was built in 1979 and was used as a sports centre until the completion of the new gym and sports building. It now remains largely empty except for a bioresearch unit and the Botany Dept. The proposal is to leave the Botany Dept where it is and to move the bioresearch unit.
According to the plans the ground floor of the development will comprise of an internet cafe, bank, shop, and flexible social space.
The bar will also be on the ground floor and will allow access to the gig venue that will be located on the first floor.
The second floor will contain more social space, Students’ Union offices. On the third floor there are plans to include student services like a GP and careers office.
The Students’ Union President, Cónán Ó Broin, said that he was disappointed that the councillors decided to oppose the plans. He said that he ‘hope the planners will listen to An Taisce and realise that this centre will be great for the college and for the city.’
The gig venue and bar would mean the return of a second bar in college since the Buttery was shut down as a bar and venue under the tenure of Barry Murphy as Ents Officer in 2006/07.
The new gig venue will contain state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment and will have a capacity of about 800. There will be a smoking area and a frontage onto Pearse St to allow patrons in and out after college closes.
The University Times has learned that all options are being explored but it is also thought that the best option would be for a full bar licence rather than a private members licence. This would avoid the requirement seen at other colleges’ bars where students need to sig n in guests before they can enter.
The Ents Officer, Mick Birmingham, said that ‘the bar and venue will be a great place to put on local and international acts as well as somewhere to showcase the very best of Trinity talent.’ ‘It will also mean that the students will benefit from using their own facility instead of renting one out’ said Birmingham.
