Dublin City Council signs off on half-billion euro office move from Wood Quay to Camden Yard

"This is an important milestone. The acquisition enables us to progress plans for the development of a new Civic Offices at Camden Yard, designed to modern, energy‑efficient standards, alongside the delivery of up to 300 public homes on the site. As outlined previously, relocating from the existing Civic Offices at Wood Quay would also unlock the potential for in excess of 500 public homes on the Wood Quay lands."

"The €581m Camden Yard move, understood to be driven largely by the chief executive, has been sold to councillors and the public as a way of increasing the efficiency of the authority's main offices, while also providing extensive additional housing. In plans outlined behind closed doors, a four-block 530-unit housing scheme has been proposed for the Wood Quay site, with three of those to be made up of cost-rental units, and the fourth dedicated to social housing."

"Mr Shakespeare has said upgrading Wood Quay's modern energy efficiency standards would cost between €487m and €504m, making it poor value for taxpayers, however the document detailing those costings has not been made public. However, the environmental impact of knocking the existing offices in the name of energy efficiency has been questioned."

Dublin City Council has decided to proceed with a €581m acquisition to relocate its headquarters from Wood Quay to Camden Yard. The move aims to improve energy efficiency while addressing housing needs. The relocation would enable construction of a new modern civic office building at Camden Yard alongside up to 300 public homes on that site. Simultaneously, vacating Wood Quay would allow development of over 500 public homes there, including a proposed 530-unit scheme with cost-rental and social housing units. The chief executive argues that upgrading the existing Wood Quay offices would cost €487m-€504m, making relocation more cost-effective. However, councillors have expressed mixed views, and concerns exist regarding the environmental impact of demolishing the existing offices despite efficiency gains.

Read at Irish Independent