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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

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* 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.
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[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
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