Dublin City Council has stalled plans by Griffith College for a multimillion-euro expansion to its campus which involves four new buildings.
The college is looking to adapt its existing campus at South Circular Road, Dublin 8 “to allow for future student growth over the next decade” in order to increase from 7,000 students currently enrolled, 5,500 of whom attend the Dublin campus, to 11,000 students by 2030.
The workforce is due to increase from 400 staff members currently to 600 in 2030.
However, in revised plans sought by the council, it now requested further information under eight headings across eight pages.
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The council told the applicant, Bellerophon Ltd trading as Griffith College, that while it fully supports in principle the proposed development to expand the existing campus, it has a number of concerns that require addressing.
It has concerns with the proposed scale, design and massing of the Quad Building and its impact on the existing protected structures.
The council has requested the applicant to explore how they can overcome its concerns and to submit any revised proposals they may have, which show a reduced scale of the proposed quad extension buildings, which omits the top floor on both of the proposed infill extensions to Blocks A & D.
The council has told the applicant that the City Council Conservation Officer’s requests that the architectural design of the new structure is fully revised to be more in keeping with the architectural design, rationale, heights presented in the pre-planning discussion of 13th May 2025.
The council has also asked the applicant to submit revised drawings and that any revised proposed development should be designed to minimise or avoid any adverse or injurious visual and direct impacts on the protected structures and historic buildings and features within and adjacent to the historic site.
In the extensive further information request, the council has also stated that there is concern with the overall scale and visual impact of the proposed three-storey extension to the west of the ‘Quarter Master’s House’ will appear incongruous.
The council has asked the applicant to submit new drawings for the three storey extension that at a minimum omits the top floor.
The city council has also stated that there is concern with the overall scale, design and height of the proposed four to five storey ‘Teaching and Learning’ building.
The council said its transportation division also has concerns over aspects of the proposal and they must be addressed.
The most recent accounts for Bellerophon Ltd show that pretax profits increased by 76 per cent to €4.8 million in the 12 months to the end of June 2024 as revenues increased by 14 per cent to €33.88 million.
