Unused parts of the GPO complex will be given over for use as community-event spaces on an interim basis while a master plan to redevelop the site is being worked on, Cabinet will be told this week.
Ministers will also be told that the ultimate redevelopment of the site is still anticipated to retain some retail and office uses, which has been the subject of some political criticism.
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will brief the Government on the next steps in the redevelopment on Tuesday, with the project being transferred from the Department of Culture to the Office of Public Works.
A public consultation, or “national conversation”, on the future of the site is also planned, but under the proposal for Cabinet, while these long-term plans are being developed, a “meanwhile use” for the GPO is envisaged, including community-event spaces in unused parts of the complex.
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The report of a taskforce on Dublin city argued for the redevelopment of the GPO as a significant public building as a key part of plans to revitalise O’Connell Street and its environs.
It also advocated for the utilisation of vacant space in the city for which a final plan has not yet been adopted – known as “meanwhile use”. It suggested such spaces could be used as music venues, artist or theatrical spaces, food and hospitality or for retail and markets.
The appropriate future use of the GPO has also been widely discussed in recent times. Proposals made to the taskforce for the GPO included the creation of a “world-class museum”, the relocation of RTÉ or conversion to a big Government department.
While the overall plan will be consulted on, it is anticipated that priority will be given to the site’s future use as a public post office, a cultural centre and office accommodation for the Government, alongside improvements to the public realm around the historic buildings and continued retail use in the GPO complex.
Sinn Féin has previously claimed the Government plans to “turn the GPO into shopping units and offices”, which it says represents a “betrayal of Ireland’s proud revolutionary history”.
The Cabinet will be told that a steering and oversight group for the GPO project will be established in the Department of the Taoiseach.
The redevelopment cost has been estimated at between €200 million and €500 million. Estimates published last year suggest procurement on the project is to be completed by 2028, with a construction timeline running between 2029 and 2032.
The original GPO was opened in 1818 but was occupied and then destroyed during the 1916 Easter Rising, before being restored and fully reopened in 1929. While it was home to State-owned An Post until mid-2023, much of that company’s workforce has now moved to a modern office building in the north docks.
The taskforce recommendations are being put into place by a new project management unit, which will be led by Robert Watt, the former secretary general at the Department of Health, who is being seconded from the Civil Service to head up a special purpose vehicle charged with implementation.
The taskforce was chaired by An Post chief executive David McRedmond, who is finishing up with the State company this summer.
