Dublin City Council’s decision to allocate €10 million to the refurbishment of offices due to be demolished within three years has been criticised as “not a good look” by Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. 

DCC staff are due to leave their Wood Quay office building by 2029 for a new site. Afterwards, the complex will be replaced with a 530-unit apartment block.  

However, the council has determined that the existing building needs energy and security upgrades; €3 million will be spent on office renovations and €2 million on making the building more energy efficient. 

Money has also been allocated for fire upgrades, corporate estate costs and electrical services.

On The Claire Byrne Show, Dublin MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin questioned the appropriateness of spending such a large sum on one building.

“It's not money that necessarily is going to be spent,” he said. 

“It's money that's been allocated. 

“However, €10 million sounds like a lot for a building that's not going to be in use in three years time.” 

Dublin City Council's Wood Quay offices. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Mr Ó Ríordáin continued that there are “elements” within society that make a lot of noise and then “get money thrown at them” to pacify them. 

He added that there are many things more deserving of €10 million, noting the high levels of deprivation in Dublin 8 communities near to Wood Quay. 

“Four out of 10 young people not attending secondary school, only 36% of those who are in secondary school progressing to further education, double the level of national crime and drug rates that are in that area,” he described. 

“You would hope that governments would look at this and allocate monies accordingly.” 

Mr Ó Ríordáin said society needs to ask “more searching” questions about how and why funds are allocated. 

In particular, he questioned if deprived communities in urban areas are being ignored. 

“There is a sense that unless you come to a complete and utter crisis in an urban context or a disadvantaged context - which doesn't just have to be in Dublin - you don't get the resources allocated to you because the sense is that there's no power there,” he argued.

Main image: Dublin City Council's Wood Quay offices. Picture by: Alamy.com.