Plans For New Drimnagh And Crumlin Public Library Unveiled By DCC
By: Aidan Crowley:
Plans for a new state-of-the-art public library, which will serve the Drimnagh and Crumlin catchment areas of Dublin 12, have recently been unveiled by Dublin City Council (DCC).
The complex, which will measure 841 square metres, is planned for construction at the old Ardscoil Eanna House site at the junction of Crumlin Road and Rafters Road and will include an adjacent thirty-eight home social housing block.
The plans have been drawn-up to include the existing, vacant Ardscoil Eanna House school building, a protected structure, which will be restored, in addition to a new two-storey building. The two buildings will be linked by a glassed-in bridge at first-floor level, according to the plans. This will provide a disabled access route to the historic building and minimise the internal interventions required for its proposed new use as a public library.
The two-storey Ardscoil Eanna House building, which closed in 2016, after seventy-seven years operating as a secondary school and measuring 100 square metres, will be fully converted into a functioning library building. According to the plans, the converted building will include offices, toilet facilities and “multi-function rooms providing assembly/reading/recital/café uses”.
The new library building, which will be about the same height, will include books, reading and events spaces on the ground floor and “a reading and meeting room”, along with staff rooms on the first floor, according to the plans.
The plans also provide for development of the grounds around the buildings, to include a “library lawn”, a rain garden, outside café seating and bicycle parking facilities.
The proposed development will comprise of the following elements:
(1) A new one-storey and partial two-storey branch public library building (841 square metres).
(2) On the ground floor, the library building will consist of a combined adult and children’s library space, an events room and additional ancillary spaces.
(3) On the first floor, the library building will consist of a reading and meeting room, along with ancillary staff rooms.
(4) The proposal includes a first floor glazed bridge link, connecting the new library building to the existing Ardscoil Eanna House.
(5) The change of use of Ardscoil Eanna House from secondary school use to public library use and ancillary cafe use, including offices, toilet facilities and multi-function rooms, providing assembly/reading/recital/café uses.
(6) Conservation repair works and alterations are proposed for Ardscoil Eanna House (100 square metres), including demolition of the front porch, modifications to a number of ground floor openings and enlargement of a first floor gable window, to accommodate a proposed bridge connection.
(7) Internal alterations are proposed to return rooms to their original layout and to facilitate publically accessible toilet facilities.
(8) To the southern boundary, the existing historic gate and historic section of wall are to be retained, repaired and modified.
(9) It is proposed to remove the existing northern boundary wall and partially remove the southern boundary wall.
(10) Landscaping works are proposed to the front and rear, to form an accessible public space.
(11) An on street accessible car parking space adjoining Rafter’s Lane and on site bicycle parking is proposed.
(12) The proposal will adhere to the recommended standards of conservation, services and civil works.
DCC’s capital budget for 2024 to 2026 includes Euros 200,000 for this project this year, Euros 8.7 million in 2025 and Euros 2.2 million in 2026.
The Drimnagh Residents Association first made submissions to DCC for the construction of a new public library fifty years ago, the then chairperson, Peter Burke, said back in 2018. The council had purchased the old school building and the surrounding site that year.
In March 2023, a DCC spokesperson said that the council planned to lodge a Part 8 planning application for a new public library on the site, before the end of the year. The planning application included a proposal that included the proviso “with building to commence in 2024”.
Dublin City Libraries (DCL) first circulated the proposal for a new public library at 314-318 Crumlin Road in June 2023. City architects and the design team have spent the last year liasing with the various technical departments, providing additional detail where required, to satisfy their concerns.
At the most recent meeting of the DCC South-Central Area Committee, council officials presented the plans to local councillors “for information purposes only”, according to the agenda. The next step is for the plans to be put forward for public consultation, before the local councillors vote on whether to approve them. The council also made known their intention to submit a planning application for the new public library, before the end of this year.
Once completed, the new public library will strengthen the existing network of Dublin City Libraries across the Dublin South-Central constituency. At present, residents of the Dublin 12 and Dublin 8 catchment areas have only three public libraries on their doorsteps. These are Walkinstown Library, located on Percy French Road, Dolphin’s Barn Library, located on Parnell Road and the temporary Inchicore Library, located at Richmond Barracks on Emmet Road. So, a new public library will provide a much needed service for these two densely populated catchment areas.
