A five-storey car park is to be built close to the Clonskeagh entrance of UCD.
The car park, salve which will have 631 spaces, see is one of the main features in a new commuting facility called ‘Campus West’ that is to be built on land currently in use as a car park and tennis courts.
It is suggested within the application that there will be a cost involved with the use of parking facilities, with UCD stating that “entry and exit to the car park will be provided via tickets barriers.”
The plans, which were submitted to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in January, also show the facility is set to include a bus terminus, storage for 414 bicycles along with shower and changing facilities, a bus depot and motorbike area.
The application would see the tennis courts, which are part of the UCD Sports facilities, move to a site beside the hockey stadium.
A new road will also be constructed to provide access to the site along with the movement of the current traffic barriers to different positions around the UCD road network.
UCD currently has 3,466 car parking spaces however, if permission is received this will be increased by only 122 spaces with various car parks around the campus losing space to accommodate the new 631 car park which will be provided at the ‘Campus West’ site. An agreement currently in place between the National Transport Authority, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and UCD has car parking spaces capped at 3,600.
UCD states that energy saving plans for Campus West include “photo-voltaic panels which could provide up to 40% of the energy requirements for the facility.” The facility will also have provision for electric cars to be charged.
-Ronan Coveney
