The construction of a Private Club onto O’Reilly Hall is facing a delay after Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council rejected the application for its Revised Fire Safety Certificate. The extension is believed to be UCD President Andrew Deeks’ ‘number one priority’ for on-campus developments. Deeks wants the Private Club and Restaurant built to serve as a place to bring visiting dignitaries. The bar would be open for staff, alumni, and visitors, to the exclusion of students.
A Fire Safety Certificate is required for the construction or major renovation the majority of buildings, with domestic homes being a general exception. UCD was granted planning permission in April for a two-storey extension to O’Reilly Hall, which was designed to include ‘social and dining facilities, meeting rooms and support spaces.’
UCD applied on the 29th of June for the Revised Fire Safety Certificate. Issue three of the College Tribune noted that it was still awaiting the result of the application. While the process normally takes just a few weeks, the Council granted a time extension in September.
Now, it has rejected the application as ‘the documentation submitted fails to provide adequate information to enable the authority to assess the proposal.’ Given the high frequency with which UCD applies for these Certificates, it remains unclear how this application has failed for not providing adequate information.
The rejection looks set to put back construction by another few months, at the very least. As per the grant of planning permission back in April, UCD is subject to a number of other conditions to be complied with before work can begin on the site. The next step for UCD is to make another application.
A Fire Safety Certificate has an application cost of €2.90 per square metre of floor, with a minimum cost of €125. UCD’s proposed extension is 1832.45 square metres, which would equal an application cost of €5,315.70 just to apply for the Certificate.
Cian Carton – Editor
