THE COLLEGE authorities in TCD are to appeal against a £10,000 charge set by Dublin Corporation for the granting of planning permission in an area of Goldsmith Hall the college's new student building on Pearse Street.
Some £60,000 had been allocated by the college to provide floors and lighting in eight railway arches in the Pearse Street development, which adjoins Pearse railway station. Additional funding was also allocated for ventilation and partitioning of some of the arches for use by student societies - but there was one difficulty: the area under the arches is basically unfit for human habitation, even by students.
The arches are essentially separate vaults which support the railway station above. Water is leaking into the area from three of the arches and the area is mouldy and not a little smelly.
While the college was willing to put money into improving the facilities, planning permission was required from the Corporation in order to transfer them to recreational use. Cue a £10,000 bill from the Corporation. The Corporation traditionally charges a fee for planning permission, which is supposed to cover any additional work required, such as draining or improved road access.
According to TCD's college secretary, Michael Gleeson, TCD views the fee as unacceptable since it has already invested a considerable amount in the site and believes that the Corporation's outlay, if any, will be minimal. The college is now to appeal the fee element of the decision.
The additional space available in Goldsmith Hall had always been intended to free up rooms in the college's Front Square that are currently occupied by student societies. These rooms will become student residences and, in some cases, college offices. Already, the Junior Common Room, which previously occupied prime space above the Front Arch of the college, has been moved to Pearse Street. Its former home has been refurbished and is now in academic use.
The proposed development of the arches is not being viewed with particular delight by the college societies or the student-run Central Societies Committee, which is unhappy with the college's efforts to move student activities towards Pearse Street and away from the area around Front Square, their home for so long.
The Graduates Memorial Building has become the focus of much of this unhappiness, after the college authorities indicated that they wished to use part of the building for offices. The building, which is almost a century old, was built for the use of voluntary clubs and societies of the college and has never previously been used for college offices. With space at a premium in the college, that may soon change.
