Pages 56 & 57

56 U.C.D. and the Future

take place in a manner which permits economies in capital and running
costs. Now is the time to examine these possibilities, especially the co-
ordination of the various schemes in hand. The expansion of U.C.D. on its
present site provides opportunities for economics precluded by the proposed
move.

8. For the above reasons we agree with the Commission when it says that
every circumstance indicated that the proper course was to seek a solution
to U.C.D.'s accommodation needs in the vicinity of Earlsfort Terrace. We
believe that had the Commission realised the full force of the arguments
in favour of this, it would have made a more determined effort to find a
solution there.

9. The Commission accepted the College's own estimate of their total
accommodation needs. It considered them adequate for the then current
student numbers, together with an allowance for a 20% expansion. It should
be noted that the estimates allow 7,600 seats for 5,000 students, i.e. 1.5 seats
per student, in comparison with the British University Grants Committee
allowance of 1.2 seats per student.

10. The Commission's failure to find a solution to the problem near the
present site was, we believe, fundamentally caused by-- (a) its misapplication
of an architectural rule relating the area of a site to the area of floorspace that
can be placed on it; (b) its exclusion of all but low buildings; (c) its favour-
ing a very scattered lay-out of the buildings; (d) its extreme aversion to
compulsory purchase.

11. The College's estimate of a total requirement of 610,630 sq. ft. nett includes
164,000 sq. ft. gross or aproximately 18.7 acres. Accepting the rule used
by the Commission, this requires a total site area of 18.7 acres.

Iveagh Gardens together with the Earlsfort Terrace site provide 13 acres.

A total of 13 acres of floorspace could be sized on this without infringing
on the central 4.5 acres. Hence only 5.7 acres further are required. If the
Science Buildings were retained this would be reduced to about 3.7 acres--
required for future expansion only.

12. There are several possibilities in the vicinity of Earlsfort Terrace which
would provide much more than the required extra area.

One possible solution would be to acquire 'The Lawn,' Peter's Place,
together with some adjacent property (4.5 acres), and the Station site (4.3 acres). On these sites sufficient space for the extra needs
can be found with some to spare. In acquiring these sites disturbance to
business and homes would be minimal, and little or no use of powers of
compulsory purchase would be required.

A policy of acquisition of other properties in the general area as they
come on the market would allow for still further expansion.

13. We feel that U.C.D. should not be encouraged to grow above 5,000 full-
time students. This is already well above the optimum size for a college.

14. Wherever new College buildings are to be erected, we agree with the

Postscript 57

Commission that their planning and design should be the subject of open
architectural competition.

We agree with the Commission that a university development com-
mittee should be established to supervise the different building projects and
to act as liaison between the Government and the Colleges. We suggest that
it should have a wider scope, and should also cover other institutions of
higher education in the country.

15. For the reasons we have outlined here, and have developed more fully in
the body of this Memorandum, we feel that the proposed move is both
highly undesirable and entirely unnecessary.

POSTSCRIPT

U.C.D. Brochure:

Subsequent to the completion of this Memorandum, the Authorities of U.C.D.
published on the 19th December a brochure entitled 'University College Dublin
and its Building Plans'.

Nothing which is said in that booklet makes any alterations necessary in
our views as set out in the Memorandum. Indeed, certain of the College's
pronouncements add weight to our opinions.

1. The College now fully realises that even if it moves to Belfield 'a town
centre will be needed for the very important work of evening classes, for
university extension classes, etc.' (Brochure p.11). Evening students number
some five hundred. A very limited number of subjects is at present offered
to them; if space were available the range might be greatly increased. At present
a single evening class may include as many as 150 students and the Earlsfort Terrace buildings are seriously crowded in the evenings. With the envisaged in-
creased in these activities, the 'historic houses' on Stephen's Green will certainly
not suffice, and room for expansion will be necessary. We estimate that for all
the requirements of a 'town centre' the whole of the sound buildings at Earlsfort Terrace might be required and would have to be retained by the College. This
wasteful duplication of teaching space can obviously be avoided if the College
remains on its present site.

2. The College admits that some form of co-operation with Trinity College
could take place-- 'It is certainly possible that an advantageous arrangement may
at some time be made between the two university institutions in Dublin'
(Brochure p. 18). This possibility presents a very strong argument for U.C.D.'s
remaining in town. There would be little point in negotiating after the College
had been transferred to the Stillorgan Road.

3. The College has abandoned the project of erecting a 'Clinical Institute' on the
proposed Campus (Brochure, Legend to Lay-out Plan). This decision, so
vital to the future of the Medical School, is commented on below.

4. The 'unsound buildings' at Earlsfort Terrace have had considerable sums
spent on them and are now declared to be 'structurally sound enough to house
the large temporary library which came into use in November, 1959.' (Brochure,
figs. 22-25). This work, together with that done on the Science Buildings and