Fur could fly in the coming months over the future of a beautiful Victorian building in south Dublin, part of which currently houses 200 computer-studies students. Student numbers on courses at the Blackrock-based branch of Dun Laoghaire Senior College could be doubled if there was more space, according to college principal Jack Griffin.
But the local council envisages a development on the site which would incorporate a residential or commercial component.
The VEC college hopes to secure space in two adjoining listed buildings owned by Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council - the old Blackrock Town Hall, built around 1863 and a library dating from 1905, both in need of major refurbishment.
The empty town hall is owned by the council. "It's just not suitable for use in its present condition," said a council spokesman.
John Treanor, spokesman for the Blackrock Town Hall Preservation Group, says it has been empty for 40 years. "It's a crying shame that the building is allowed to lie derelict and run into bad repair," he says. "It's literally about to fall in on itself. Yet the VEC, which has computer studies in its part of the building, is screaming for space.
"The bottom line is that there are a number of computer firms in Blackrock that are screaming for qualified computer people. The VEC can place every person." Griffin agrees: "Absolutely, we're desparate for space and it's there beside us. At the moment we've leased four extra rooms in Dun Laoghaire on a year-to-year basis." The council currently is drawing up a list of proposals for the building. It envisages a bigger library and a residential or commercial element - a report outlining its ideas will be sent go to local representatives and presented at a council meeting either this month or next month. "An essential element would be a library," said the council spokesman. "This would make the whole thing click, along with some other type of residential or commercial element."
At this stage, he added, "nothing is written in stone. We're looking at the various options available to us."
