Papers of James Meenan – Move of UCD to Belfield

16 U.C.D. and the Future

to the Commission's Report going to press, with St. Laurence's Hospital (c. 350 beds). Each of these hospitals is to have both a Professor of Medicine and a Professor of Surgery. Hence there will be approximately 800 beds and four associated professors on the north side of the city (some five miles from the Stillorgan site by way of the most dense traffic arteries in the city centre) and only 190 beds and their two associated professors on the south side. Even when the new Elm Park Hospital has been built there will be only 450 beds available in it (replacing St. Vincent's with its 190). With regard to this proposed hospital, the Department of Health has already officially indicated that it is not responsible for providing space for clinical teaching and has altered the proposed plans so as to reduce the space that could be devoted to this purpose. Consequently the Board of St. Vincent's Hospital declares that as the plans now stand (and remember that the foundations have been laid) 'the new hospital would be merely a larger edition of a County hospital.' (See Appendix VIII to Chapter I of the Report).

In this regard we consider that the plan to move U.C.D. to Stillorgan Road was unduly influenced by the prior decision to build a new hospital at Elm Park. In the ultimate conditions envisaged by the Report there will still be twice as many affiliated general teaching beds and associated teaching staff on the north side of the city as there will be on the south side. Consequently, only about one-third of the medical students would not be inconvenienced by the new arrangements, whilst about two-thirds would be put to considerably greater inconvenience in regard to their general hospital work.

It must be remembered that not all U.C.D. students take their clinical courses at the above-mentioned three hospitals. A further seven general hospitals are also recognised by the College and are listed in its calendar, viz:

The Meath The Adelaide Mercer's Sir Patrick Dun's Jervis Street Royal City of Dublin Dr. Steevens'

All of these are far nearer to Earlsfort Terrace than to the Stillorgan Road site.

Still further, the College Calendar lists eleven recognised specialist hospitals which students attend for parts of their course, and these hospitals are also nearer to Earlsfort Terrace than to Stillorgan Road.

Grangegorman Mental Hospital The Vergemount Fever Hospital, Clonskeagh The National Children's Hospital, Harcourt Street Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital The Coombe Lying-in Hospital The National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street The Rotunda Hospital The Fever Hospital, Clondalkin The Children's Hospital, Temple Street The Dental Hospital of Ireland (which all dental students must attend).

Problems in the Proposed Move 17

Despite what the Commission says, the inconvenience would obviously be very great. It is abundantly clear that there is a very strong case for retaining the Medical school in the city centre even if the Elm Park Hospital is completed and St. Vincent's closed to students.

It is worthy of mention that by far the largest single concentration of general hospital beds in Dublin lies in St. Kevin's Hospital (approx. 1,600 beds) in the south city. From time to time it has been suggested - and some medical professors in U.C.D. have supported the idea - that this vast hospital be affiliated to the College as a teaching unit. The fact that it has not been so affiliated would appear to be a major instance of what the Commission has called 'lack of co-ordination amongst the several authorities' involved, which is having such a bad effect on clinical teaching facilities. Many years ago a plan was prepared to utilise St. Kevin's as a post-graduate medical education centre, but that plan came to nothing. However, sooner or later we believe some agreement on having this hospital available for the teaching of students is bound to be reached, and it would be a great pity if by then the U.C.D. Medical school were inconveniently far away.

The Commission did not permit itself to discuss the problem raised by the existence in the city of three medical schools and four medical examining bodies (when the Apothecaries Hall is included), nor yet did they comment on the necessity or otherwise of having two further medical schools within the State at Cork and Galway. In all there are six medical schools in this island with its population of 4 1/2 millions and three of these are in Dublin with its population of little over half a million. Could no economies be effected, and medical education improved, by some form of amalgamation or at the very least coordination and sharing of facilities instead of the present wasteful multiplication?

In regard to the Royal College of Surgeons it is to be noted that a suggestion has been made that it would be an ideal centre for the post-graduate study of surgery and related branches of medicine.

C. THE COLLEGE AND THE COMMUNITY

It is generally accepted to-day that universities should serve the community in other ways than merely educating their whole-time students. The universities have a special obligation to disseminate as widely as possible their heritage of learning. Further, the public purse provides most of the income of U.C.D., and will provide the whole of the cost of the proposed extension, and hence the community is entitled to any services the College can provide which do not interfere with its primary function of educating its whole-time students. We deal with some of these services below.

Evening Degree Students

U.C.D. provides degree courses for evening students, and we believe that such students deserve every facility. If U.C.D. moves to the Stillorgan Road site, and provides its facilities for evening students there, then most of these students will have their already arduous day lengthened still further by the travelling involved.

The Report suggests that this difficulty has been foreseen, for it indicates (p.35) that Newman House, St. Stephen's Green, could be used for evening

38 U.C.D. and the Future

of the College should first be solved before the building for future expansion is undertaken. It writes (Report, p. 38) (our italics):

'The allowance for expansion in the estimate, 100,000 sq. ft. nett, is not an immediate requirement and in so far as it may be possible to do it the erection of this 100,000 sq. ft. nett of building should be postponed until the minimum nucleus (500,000 sq. ft. nett) has first been built. Our purpose in making this suggestion is to relieve public funds of the cost of buildings not yet required . . .'

Again in its summary of conclusions (Report, p. 45):

The estimates of the College's total accommodation requirements, 610,000 sq. ft. nett, contains an allowance for expansion of 20%. The College's total immediate requirements is therefore of the order of 500,000 sq. ft. nett. So far as it may be possible these immediate requirements should be provided first . . .'

It must be remembered, of course, that these quotations refer to the building of a complete new College. If expansion takes place from the existing buildings then the immediate requirements to be provided first amount to only 340,000 sq. ft. nett, i.e. 500,000 sq. ft. nett less 160,000 sq. ft. nett of existing sound floorspace.

In order to site faculty buildings so as to allow of convenient future expansion by the estimated 20% (or somewhat more if possible), we regard it as desirable that sites adjacent to the present holdings be acquired. The Engineering school in particular must be evacuated from Merrion Street and it would be preferable to place it elsewhere than on Iveagh Gardens. Consequently we recommend the acquisition of adjacent sites between the College and the Canal as discussed full in Section V.

B. CRITICISM OF THE COMMISSION'S STANDARDS

1. USE OF THE 'RULE OF THUMB'

The 'rule of thumb' suggested by architects to the Commission, that one acre of ground space is required for the erection of any building in which the gross floor space is one acre (43,560 sq. ft.) is adopted to ensure that sufficient light and air, and enough land for approaches, dispersal, etc., be available around the building. It is not, however, an inviolable 'rule.' It is a useful guide when buying land. It is usual in reckoning the area of a city site to include in the measurement of the depth of the site the footpath and adjacent roadway to the midline. This has not been done in the areas considered above and consequently the floor areas of the buildings contemplated might be appreciably increased.

When a projected city building is to lie alongside a park or other open space (e.g. excellent wide roadways), then obviously the associated open space need not be purchased in order to provide the light, air, approaches, etc., required by current architectural practice.

Suppose, for example, the College were to acquire the houses on St. Stephen's Green, South, from the corner of Earlsfort Terrace to the Passport

U.C.D. Accommodation Needs 39

Office. The total ground space occupied by these houses is approximately 26,000 sq. ft. There is no architectural rule which would prohibit the erection on the same area of a building having a gross floor area of 104,000 sq. ft. distributed over four floors, for this is close to the floor space that exists on this site at the moment. There is no architectural rule which would prohibit the provision of still more floor space in a much higher building on this site. The necessary light, air, approaches, etc., are provided by the expanse of the Green and the surrounding roadways.

Indeed, it can be said that if skyscrapers were to be erected in Dublin, then the above and similar sites alongside our open spaces would be the sites of choice. The Commission was aware of the necessity of having open space associated with high buildings, when it wrote (Report, p. 30): 'High buildings require a considerable area of open space about them.' But it did not, in its brief dismissal (Report, p. 32) of the possibility of acquiring any property on St. Stephen's Green, South, take into account the fact that the sites of existing houses here are surrounded by open space — Iveagh Gardens at the back and the Green on the front. We will refer to this area again in Section V of this Memorandum.

2. ATTITUDE TO BUILDING HEIGHTS

In a short paragraph in Chapter I, p. 30, of the Report occur two statements of crucial importance:—

(1) 'High buildings in the Iveagh Gardens would be out of character with the existing buildings and the surrounding neighbourhood'

(2) 'High buildings are generally considered not suitable for the ordinary purposes of a University.'

The opinion of an expert is quoted as indicating that the buildings should be of 'orthodox height' and favouring 'groups of two or three-storied buildings.'

We must examine these statements in some detail for it is largely by the acceptance of these and misapplication of the 'rule of thumb' that the Commission drives itself from the Terrace/Gardens site and compels itself to declare that no solution is possible, other than the erection of a complete new college on another site.

(1) The first statement is a matter of opinion—similar opinions are always expressed whenever a 'modern' building is to be erected alongside those of earlier days. We do not agree that high buildings would be out of character with the existing buildings and most certainly, they would not be out of character with the surrounding neighbourhood. The dwelling-houses in Earlsfort Terrace (now occupied by Alexandra College) rise four storeys above a semibasement and look down on the existing College buildings, as do the dwelling-houses in Upper Earlsfort Terrace which rise four and five storeys above a semi-basement. The houses along Harcourt Street and St. Stephen's Green, South, rise at least four storeys above a basement or semi-basement, and are at least as high as the College buildings. On the east side of the Green houses rise to five and, on the north side, to even six storeys above semibasements.

We see no reason for rejecting on aesthetic or any other grounds the erection

44 U.C.D. and the Future

could be subject to the approval of the Government, or exercised by it on behalf of the College). Further, the granting of thesse powers does not necessarily mean that they would ever be invoked. The mere possession of them would render more easy the acquisition of property by normal means.

V. A STUDY OF ADJACENT SITES

A. THE COMMISSION'S REJECTION OF ADJACENT SITES

"We began with our work,' writes the Commission (Report, Chapter I, p. 28), 'by seeking for a solution of the College accommodation problem in the vicinity of the main College buildings at Earlsfort Terrace.

Every circumstance indicated to us that that was the proper course -the necessity for maintaining the pysical unity of the College, the College's place in the city and in proximity to libraries and galleries, the avoidance of disturbance to the life of the College which would occur if the College were to be moved, and considerations of economy.'

In short, the Commission was convinced that a move is undesirable and that if a solution to the problem of the College's accommodation needs can be found in the neighbourhood, that solution should be adopted. We propose to show, having regard to the facts outlined in the preceding sections, that such a solution can be found, and without the 'large-scale compulsory acquisition of valuable residential, business and hotel premises' which the Commission seems to think necessary (Report, Chapter 4, p. 124). We contradict it in its assertion on this point.

The Commission gave 'lengthy consideration' to two blocks of property which together stretch from Hatch Street to the canal and are marked 'B1' and 'D' on the outline plan of the Earlsfort Terrace area (Attachment IV to Chapter 1 of the Report. See also our Map* at the end of this Memorandum). It also considered the question of acquiring the whole of the east side of Harcourt Street as far as Hatch Street together with the whole of St. Stephen's Green, South, and made a passing mention of the impossibility of acquiring the whole of the blocks bordered by Lr. Leeson Street, Adelaide Road and Earlsfort Terrace. Naturally the immediate purchase of the whole of any one (or any combination) of these latter blocks would cause widespread disturbance, and such ideas were dismissed by the Commission as impracticable. We contend that such widespread acquisitions are not at all nececssary, that more limited objectives will suffice, and that these can be achieved with little or no resort to the machinery of compulsory purchase.

The Commission made no mention whatsoever of the block marked 'B2,' the Harcourt Street Station site, although it was long known that C.I.E.

*Our map covers the same area and carries the same letters to denote the blocks as does that given by the Commission. However block D as considered by us is slightly different from block D as considered by the Commission. We include the C.I.E. property and exclude the houses in Adelaide Road and Harcourt Terrace, the Commission's block includes these houses and omits the railway viaducts.

A Study of Adjacent Sites 45

intended to close the line, and indeed the closure was carried out and the advertisements for its sale had appeared in the press before the Commission presented its final Report.

Having considered blocks B1 and D the Commission writes (Report, p. 31):

'We came to the conclusion, however, after considerable discussion that a solution of the problem by extension towards the canal was not practicable. These blocks, we are satisfied, could not be acquired within a reasonable period except by the exercise, in large measure, of compulsory powers. We would hesitate to recommend the granting of compulsory powers. The disturbance to homes and business would be too great.'

Presumably, if these blocks could be acquired within a reasonable period, and if compulsory powers did not have to be invoked, or only in small measure, and if the disturbance to homes and business were not too great, the Commission would have come to a different conclusion. We propose to show how this desirable result of acquiring sites contiguous to the College can in fact be so achieved.

B. A RECONSIDERATION OF THESE AND OTHER ADJACENT SITES

Block B1

We agree that at the moment the acquisition of block B1 would be difficult. We note that when the Commission was first appointed a large section of this block, formerly the site of St. Matthias's Church had not yet been built on; it is now fully occupied by the new premises of the General Electric Company. If this building could be purchased, it is of a type that could readily be used as laboratories, workshops or drawing offices. We also note that in this block two houses in Upper Earlsfort Terrace which might be used by the College for, say, its administrative staff, are occupied by the Department of the Gaeltacht.

Block D and Adjacent Areas South of Adelaide Road to the Canal

The C.I.E. property in this area, hitherto occupied by railway lines as they fanned out to enter the station - a series of viaducts covering store-rooms, etc., is now available and could be demolished. This property presents a frontage of 200' along Adelaide Road.

Without at present acquiring the houses along Adelaide Road or the houses in Harcourt Terrace, a block of aproximately 4.5 acres can be obtained in this area by acquiring the following:

(a) 'The Lawn' (recently purchased by the Dental Hospital). (b) The C.I.E. property extending from Adelaide Road to Charlemont Place on the Canal. (c) Three houses and gardens - Nos. 10, 11, 12 Peter's Place. (d) A small light engineering company occupying the site of No. 9 Peter's Place and the old railway engine shed. (e) Three further small light industrial projects - Nos. 15, 21a and 22 1/2 Charlemont Place.

[left page] 46 [heading] U.C.D. and the Future

(f) Six old houses, Nos. 16-21 Charlemont Place, average P.L.V. approx. £23. (Four of these are described as 'Tenements' in Thom's Directory, 1957).

(g) The roadway and paths of Peter's Place itself.

We submit that the disturbance to home and business premises in this area would be minimal. Only nine houses with a total P.L.V. of £227 are involved. The few businesses are of a kind that can readily be accommodated elsewhere.

Until reasonable offers to purchase have been made, it cannot be said that 'compulsary purchase' will be at all necessary. And in any event, should such interests be given priority over the needs of the University?

The cost of acquiring these 4.5 acres should be considerably less than the cost of acquiring block D as considered by the Commission which contemplated the immediate acquisition of the houses on Adelaide Road and Harcourt Terrace.

The remaining property along the Canal stretching towards Charlemont Bridge, to the west of the site of the former railway bridge, is in poor condition and not very valuable. The back gardens of No. 11 Harcourt Terrace also make up a considerable frontage on the Canal. This whole area would be suitable as a site for the Engineering faculty.* Further, the architectural advantages to a site of an area of open water are mannifold--if the Canal be retained.

It may be, however, that evenually the Canal here would be filled in and built on--thus providing the College with still further ground on to which to expand in the area between Charlemont Street Bridge and Leeson Street Bridge.

We note in passing that the adjoining block of property (marked 'C') extending from the former railway lines to Charlemont Street is also in poor condition, and is in fact to be acquired compulsorily by Dublin Corporation for demolition in the very near future. This would make a further 3.6 acres available. The block to the west of Charlemont Street is similarly to be acquired.

[heading]Block 'B2' -- The Harcourt Street Station Site

This block of property covering an area of 4.3 acres (not 3.3 acres as marked on the Commission's site plan -- Attachment IV, referred to above), and formerly the property of C.I.E. was sold, as one lot, but public autcion on 12th June last for a sum of £67,500. It was bought by a firm of estate agents

[line]

* It is a matter of historical interest that, in fact, the Engineering school of the Royal College of Science was originally located on this area, on the site bordering the Canal to the east of Harcourt Terrace, subsequently occupied by the Turraun Peat Works, and at present occupied by the Department of Agriculture's Butter Testing Station, a Garda barracks and the Film Censor's office. It was only after the engineering workshops had been destroyed by fire that they were moved to Merrion Street. [end of left page] [right page] [heading]A Study of Adjacent Sites 47

and may be resold to a suitable bidder. Several parties are said to be interested in its aquisition. Full details of this property and its leases are given in Appendix F to this Memorandum. We will content ourselves here with pointing out that the leases of all the essential sections will have expired at latest by 1970, i.e. by the time the College could have fully developed the Iveagh Gardens and Earlsfort Terrace sites. The area occupied by the Station proper and associated open spaces amounts to 91,000 sq. ft. and immediate possesion of this available. The lease of the vaults underlying the station (approximately 80,100 sq. ft.) expires in 1968, but the tenant could surrender in 1961 (Appendix F).

The lease of Dunlops' holding (52,200 sq. ft.) expires in 1963. The lease of Autoservices' holding at Adelaide Road (21,753 sq. ft.) expires in 1970.

We do not suggest the acquisition of Autoservices' garage on the corner of the block (held on a 99-year lease) as we do not regard it as vital to the development of the area.

Some of these leases may be renewable and the small property ('Lot No. 4') in Hatch Street, is held on a 99-year lease. It is improbable that compulsory purchase would have to be invoked in order to develop the property for university use.

These two blocks--D, as discussed above, and B2, the Station block--constituting together 8.8 acres, and having in addition the amenities of the existing roadways, could be acquired by the College. Taken with Iveagh Gardens, the Terrace site and the University property on St. Stephen's Green, South, the total holding would be 23 acres--enough to satisfy, even according to the Commission's calculations, the present needs of the College, and allowance for a future 20% expansion, and some ground to spare. These properties should be secured forthwith.

[heading]Other Sites

Naturally, we also recommend the acquisition of any other property in the neighbourhood which from time to time becomes available; expecially houses in Harcourt Terrace and Adelaide Road (Block D); or in Earlsfort Terrace and Lr. Hatch Street as far as University Hall; or on the east side of Harcourt Street.

With regard to other blocks of property considered by the Commission for widespread compulsory acquisition, we comment as follows:

(i) Instead of considering the acquisition of the whole of the east side of Harcourt Street and of St. Stephen's Green, South, let us focus our attention on that part of the St. Stephen's Green, South, from the corner of Earlsfort Terrace, No. 65 to No. 87 (the Presbytery of University Church). This property presents a frontage of 735' to the Green. Of this 245' is already in University hands, 160' (Iveagh House and the Passport Office) are controlled by the Government, and 70' (Loretto Hall and the C.B.S.I. Headquarters) can be said to be under ecclesiastical control. There remains only 260' (or 35% of the block) which is privately owned. Therefore, if ever the College did require the whole of this frontage on St. Stephen's Green the only section which might need to be acquired compulsorily would be this 35% of the [end right page]

52 U.C.D. and the Future

It also assumes that the Government is unwilling to extend the lease to the College of Science Buildings in Merrion Street.

The ultimate result of this scheme would be to site the faculties in three contiguous groups as follows:

1. Engineering (with the Department of Geology) and Architecture--between the Canal and Adelaide Road.

2. Science--between Adelaide Road and Hatch Street.

3. All the remainder--on the Terrace/Gardens site.

The sites that we regard as being available without undue difficulty in these areas (as explained in Section V) extend to 4.5, 4.3 and 13 acres respectively, without the including the existing roadways. In each case the site for the faculties mentioned is more than sufficient for present needs and the 20% expansion for which the Commission has estimated.

1. Plan

Dublin Corporation as the appropriate planning authority should be requested to use its powers under the appropriate acts to reserve areas in the vicinity for future university use.

II. Retain and Regroup

1. Retain, at least for the time being, the Science Buildings in Upper Merrion Street.

2. (a) Evacuate the Engineering faculty and the department of Geology to a new site (see below).

(b) Request the Government to evacuate both the Seed Testing Laboratories of the Department of Agriculture and the State Laboratory from the Science Buildings. The former would be more happily accommodated at any of the agricultural stations of the Department or of An Foras Taluntais, whilst the latter might be sited at Glasnevin in conjunction with the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards.

The space thus set free in Merrion Street would enable the remaining Science departments, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology to meet their present needs and still leave them some room for expansion. It would be a long time before overcrowding again became so bad as to force the removal of a further Science department.

It might be argued that such a redistribution of space in the Science Buildings would be wasteful, if in the long run Merrion Street had to be completely evacuated. This need not be so. Modern methods of building laboratory furniture and fittings in 'units' render such equipment flexible and readily transportable to another place.

3. Evacuate the administration from the Earlsfort Terrace block, thus providing immediately some more teaching space. Rehouse the administration in such property as could be acquired anywhere in the general area. This separation of administration need be only a temporary measure, for as indicated under 'Build' below there is sufficient space available to enable the administration to be included in new building.

Suggestions Towards a Solution 53

III. Purchase

1. The Harcourt Street Station site (4.3 acres).

2. 'The Lawn,' also the C.I.E. property south of Adelaide Road and as much of the adjoining areas as could be obtained with or without compulsory purchase. The total area that is most readily available in this block amouts to 4.5 acres (see Section V)).

3. Any other property in this general area as it becomes available. The site now belonging to Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann Teo, mentioned earlier should be considered.

Immediate action would be necessary in the case of all these properties.

IV. Build

From the point of view of the relief of overcrowding, immediate acion under this heading is also imperative.

1. Buildings for the faculty of Engineering (together with Geology) and the faculty of Architecture could be erected in the area between the Canal and Adelaide Road. It is important to realise that the erection of buildings here need not necessarily await the acquisition of the whole 4.5 acres mentioned in Section V,-- 'The Lawn' and the adjoining field are open ground on which operations might commence immediately. Provision would have to be made elsewhere for the needs of the Dental Hospital which has but lately acquired 'The Lawn'.

Long term expansion on this site would proceed by gradual acquisition of neighbouring property as it comes on the market. The total area that might eventually be acquired in this block, bounded by Adelaide Road, Harcourt Terrace, Charlemont Place and Charlemont Street, is 13.3 acres.

Those who would object to the erection of new university buildings behind the back gardens of existing houses would do well to remember that the College of Science was erected on just such a site, and operated for many years before the Georgian terrace in Merrion Street was eventually demolished to make way for the wings of the block, which now house Government offices.

2. In this 'sample scheme' the Station site would be reserved for a later phase and would eveentually provide a site for new Science buildings. Meanwhile the departments of Chemistry, Botany and Zoology would share the whole of the present Science Buildings, including the space at present occupied by the Engineering faculty, the Seed Testing Laboratory, and the State Laboratory. Geology we have sited with the Engineering faculty. Physics could either be allowed to expand on the Terrace/Gardens site, or in new premises erected on the Station site as the first of the new Science buildings.

Long term expansion from this site would first proceed by the gradual acquisition of the remaining property in the block. The total area bounded by Harcourt Street, Upper Hatch Street, Earlsfort Terrace, and Adelaide Road is 6.9 acres. More distant expansion, if ever necessary, might extend across Earlsfort Terrace and down Hatch Street.