Agenda item

Mixed-use development at the Dublin Institute of Technology / Technological University Dublin (TUD) site, Kevin Street Lower, Dublin 8. The application site includes the Dublin Institute of Technology / Technological University Dublin main buildings and Annex Building located at Kevin Street Lower, Church Lane South and Camden Row; part of the Kevin Street Library site, Kevin Street; warehousing structures fronting 1-8 Church Lane South and Liberty Lane, and no’s 30 to 35 (inclusive) New Bride Street (No. 35 is also known as 19A Kevin Street Lower) at the junction of New Bride Street and Kevin Street Lower. The development consists of the following: • Demolition of the existing TUD Main buildings and the Annex Building located at Kevin Street Lower, Church Lane South, and Camden Row; Warehousing Structures fronting 1-8 Church Lane South and Liberty Lane, and no’s 30-35 (inclusive) New Bride Street (No. 35 also known as 19A Kevin Street Lower), with a total combined gross floor area (GFA) of 27,144 sq.m; • Construction of a new mixed-use development in 5 no. blocks (Blocks A – E) ranging from 1 to 14 no. storeys in height above lower ground and basement levels (3 no. levels). The development includes 53,110 sq.m of commercial office floorspace in Blocks A, B and C and 21,669 sq.m of residential accommodation in Blocks D and E, providing a total of 299 no. Build to Rent residential units (130 no. studios, 130 no. 1-bed units, and 39 no. 2-bed units) and residential support and amenity facilities. The proposal includes 1 no. creche facility (305 sq.m), 1 no. café / restaurant unit (122 sq.m) and a double height exhibition space extension to the rear of Kevin Street Library (245 sq.m). The total GFA, including lower ground / basement levels, of the proposed development is 85,436 sq.m. The detailed description of the development is as follows: • Block A, which fronts onto Kevin Street Lower, comprises c. 34,696 sq.m of office floorspace in a part 5 to part 11 storey building above lower ground / basement levels, 2 no. roof terraces are proposed at 5th and 9th floor level, and a plant area is proposed at roof level; • Block B, which fronts onto Kevin Street Lower, comprises c. 13,767 sq.m of office floorspace in a part 5 to part 10 storey building above lower ground / basement levels. 1 no. roof terrace is proposed at 8th floor level, and a plant area is proposed at roof level; Block A and Block B will be integrated via a link bridge / office accommodation to the rear / above Kevin Street Library from third to ninth floor levels; • Block C, accessed from Church Lane South, comprises c. 4,647 sq.m of office floorspace in a part 1 to part 5 storey building, above lower ground level; • Block D, located to the west of St. Kevin’s Park, comprises 181 no. Build to Rent units including 58 no. studios, 107 no. 1 beds, and 16 no. 2 beds, in a part 4 to part 14 storey building, above 3 no. lower ground / basement levels. Balconies are provided on the northern, eastern, southern and western elevations. A 122 sq.m café / restaurant unit, and residential support facilities and amenity spaces are also proposed at ground floor and residential amenity space on the fourth floor of Block D. Balconies are proposed on the eastern and western elevations, and private amenity terraces at ground floor on the eastern elevation. 2 no. external communal roof terraces are proposed at 4th floor (235 sq.m) and 12th floor (250 sq.m) levels; • Block E, located to the west of Block D, comprises 118 no. Build to Rent residential units including 72 no. studios, 23 no. 1 beds, and 23 no. 2 beds, in a part 1 to part 10 storey building, above 3 no. lower ground / basement levels. Balconies are provided on the northern, eastern, southern and western elevations, and private amenity terraces at ground floor on the western elevation. A 305 sq.m creche with associated outdoor play area is also proposed at ground floor level; • The ancillary resident amenities and support facilities for the BTR residential units have a total floor area of 1,703 sq.m and consist of a community lounge, WIFI lounge and information point lobby at ground floor level and residential gym, residential storage, billiards room, waste and recycling, cycle storage and repair at lower ground mezzanine floor level of Blocks D and E. A park lounge residential amenity space is located on the fourth floor of Block D and outdoor communal open space is located adjacent to Blocks D and E at ground level; • Ancillary facilities for the commercial office use are proposed at lower ground / basement levels including storage space, recreation space, courtyards, an ancillary gym, waste and recycling area, showers, lockers and changing rooms; • The lower ground / basement levels (3 no. levels) contains 217 no. car parking spaces (100 no. spaces for the commercial offices and 117 no. spaces for the residential units), 39 no. motorcycle spaces (24 no. for the commercial offices and 15 no. for the residential units), 1,250 bicycle spaces (550 no. for commercial offices and 700 no. for the residential units).The lower ground / basement levels also include ancillary residential and commercial facilities, plant rooms, bin storage and block cores. 52 no. bicycle spaces are provided at surface level; • The development provides a double height exhibition space extension (245 sq.m) to the rear of Kevin Street Library; • The proposed development will also provide communal and public open space, hard and soft landscaping and improvements to the public realm, including new public streets and a public plaza; • The proposals include new boundary treatment (a 2.8m high railing) at the north western boundary of St. Kevin’s Park (in place of a demolished TUD building which abuts this boundary), and reinstatement of a gated entrance to St Kevin’s Park from Church Lane South. The existing western boundary and northern boundary walls of St. Kevin’s Park will be retained with proposed strengthening works to the existing northern boundary wall within the application site; • The associated site development and infrastructural works will include a new priority-controlled access junction on New Bride Street, pedestrian and cyclist entrances from Church Lane South, Kevin Street Lower and Camden Road, foul and surface water drainage, lighting, boundary treatments, 5 no. ESB sub-stations and all associated site development and infrastructural works. An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) will be submitted to the Planning Authority with the planning application and the EIAR will be available for inspection or purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority.

Order: Noted.

Cllr. Geoghegan asked that the record include his comments that the meeting to discuss the Strategic Housing Development was not consistent with the relevant legislation because there was not a quorum of members present and standing orders of Dublin City Council had not yet been amended to allow for quora in the case of meetings held remotely.