Funding available for Dún Laoghaire central library

A €35 MILLION plan to build a central library in Dún Laoghaire could go ahead in September, local councillors have been told.

In a report circulated in advance of tonight’s meeting of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, county manager Owen Keegan has said funding is available for the ambitious Central Library Complex at Moran Park from within the local authority’s own resources.

The complex will include a library headquarters; arts office; public library; arts and culture centre, including a gallery and cafe; and community meeting rooms.

A second “flagship” project, the Samuel Beckett Civic Campus at Ballyogan, could also get under way this year at a cost of €25.3 million for the first phase. It includes a sports building, swimming pool, skate park and pitches.

Both projects will have to be approved by the Department of the Environment.

A circular from the department, issued in 2009, restricted the capacity of local authorities to undertake capital expenditure, “even when that expenditure involves the council’s own resources”, the report from Mr Keegan said. The aim of the restriction was to limit local authorities’ contribution to the country’s budget deficit.

The report said notwithstanding the circular, the department had facilitated “significant net capital expenditure” by the council over the past two years and it was the manager’s intention to submit the proposed capital programme for approval.

The council plans to spend almost €140 million on more than 100 capital projects up to 2014, the report said, with funding for the projects coming from development levies and other sources including grants and “unpaid capital balances” owed to the council from the department for completed housing projects.

The projects, of various sizes, include improvements in water and waste facilities. Some €5 million is earmarked for capital spending in connection with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Properties Ltd, a company owned by the council which holds properties in Cherrywood Science and Technology Park.

Five Quality Bus Corridors are also planned, along with various community facilities and improvement works including €2.2 million on Marlay Park.