Griffith College's multi-million campus expansion plan gets council go-ahead

Gordon Deegan

Dublin City Council has approved plans to develop a multimillion-euro expansion of the Griffith College campus in Dublin.

The planning authority has given the scheme the go-ahead after Griffith College scaled back its original proposals lodged earlier this year.

In the scheme, the college is looking to adapt its existing campus at South Circular Rd, Dublin 8 “to allow for future student growth over the next decade” to increase from 7,000 students currently enrolled - 5,500 of whom attend the Dublin campus - to 11,000 students by 2030.

The workforce is due to increase from 400 staff members currently to 600 in 2030.

The Council has granted planning permission after the college lodged revised plans in response to eight pages of further information requested by the council earlier this year.

In the planning report giving the scheme the go-ahead, the council welcomed the series of revisions provided last month by the college.

In relation to the Quad Building, Griffith College reduced the overall scale of the proposed extensions through the omission of upper floor accommodation.

The council states that the reduction in height is welcomed.

The Council states that while the footprint of the extension has increased slightly to compensate for the loss of upper floor space, “this increase is modest and does not materially alter the overall assessment of the proposal”.

The council has attached 23 conditions to the permission, including one that the college pay €942,291 in development contributions.

The most recent accounts for Griffith College show that last year pre-tax profits increased by 37 per cent to €6.58 million.

Consolidated accounts filed by Bellerophon Ltd show that the group enjoyed the jump in profits as revenues increased by 9 per cent to €36.48 million in the 12 months to the end of June last year.

Established in 1974, Griffith College has grown into Ireland’s largest independent third-level institution, with students in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick.